§ Viscount Devonportasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will adopt the practice common in continental Europe of planting motorway and dual carriageway central reservations with hedges to screen the glare from headlights of oncoming vehicles at night; and what research they have undertaken to establish the value of hedges in controlling dust and pollution and reducing the effect of noise emanating from motorways and dual carriageways.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Transport (Viscount Goschen)These are operational matters for the Highways Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive, Mr. Lawrie Haynes, to write to the noble Viscount.
Letter to Viscount Devonport from the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Lawrie Haynes:
The Viscount Goschen has asked me to write to you in reply to your recent parliamentary Questions about the use of hedges as a means of reducing headlight glare from oncoming vehicles, controlling dust and pollution, and reducing noise from trunk roads and motorways.Whilst we fully recognise the benefits that hedges within the central reservation can bring to reducing the glare from headlights of oncoming traffic, hedges are not generally provided. We have found that it is difficult to establish trees or shrubs and to maintain them in good condition in a central reserve under 10m wide. This is because the reserve usually also has to accommodate drains and lighting columns, safety fences or telecommunications equipment and is an extremely hostile environment for plants due to winter saltings and turbulence from passing traffic. Similar conditions occur less frequently on the majority of roads on the Continent.Hedgerows could be established if wider central reserves were provided. This would mean, however, that additional land would be required, and no matter what the width of the central reserve, access
Numbers of accidents resulting in:- Deaths Serious Casualties Slight Casualties Total 1989 0 1 3 4 1990 2 0 1 3 1991 0 0 2 2 1992 0 2 4 6 1993 1 2 3 6 1994 (provisional to end of September) 0 1 2 3 Total (5¾ years) 3 6 15 24