§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the full costs of the Rendel, Palmer and Tritton study into the M25, and further studies arising from that. [21580]
§ Mr. WattsThe cost of the Rendel, Palmer and Tritton study, published in 1989, was £321,000, excluding VAT. Following publication in 1990 of the M25 action plan, the Department of Transport's response to public comments on the RPT report, five studies were commissioned. These investigated possible improvements to junctions and 213W options for additional capacity on the M25. The total cost of these studies was £4.682 million, excluding VAT.
As a result of the studies, the agency has carried forward the design for widening nearly 88 miles or 80 per cent. of the M25 to dual four lanes. Construction works have been completed or are in progress on 13 miles of the M25, with works on a further 12 miles due to start in June of this year. Comments from the public on proposals for widening are currently being considered on another 34 miles of the M25.
§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) on what basis he is assessing projected traffic growth on the M25 beyond 2010; [21582]
(2) what proposals he has to reassess national traffic forecasts in respect of the M25 in the light of the Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment; and if he will make a statement. [21576]
§ Mr. WattsThe assessment of traffic growth up to and beyond 2010 will be based on the Department of Transport's national road traffic forecasts, taking into account local traffic forecasts which reflect local growth in population and car ownership.
The proposals will be assessed to see if the changes in traffic looked at by the Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment in its recently published report are likely to be significant. An assessment summarising the technical and economic analysis of the scheme, including traffic projections, will be published at the same time as the environmental statement.
§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out his timetable for new traffic management arrangements between junctions 12 and 16 on the M25. [21581]
§ Mr. WattsA traffic management pilot project with the use of variable speed limits and camera enforcement will start on the motorway shortly. It uses automatic sensors to monitor traffic flows and activates signals to reduce speeds at congested times. This builds on to a longer term programme for introducing automatic incident detection systems on the motorway network.