§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) on what date the cones hotline was established; and if he will make a statement as to its current status and past effectiveness; [40805]
760W(2) how many phone calls there have been to the cones hotline and its successor service since the establishment of these services; and if he will give a breakdown of the number for each full year of the service; [40833]
(3) how many traffic cones have been removed in response to communication via the cones hotline and its successor service; if he will list (a) the number of occasions when this has occurred and (b) the total length of cones in metres removed; and if he will make a statement; [40804]
(4) what has been the total cost to date of establishing and running the cones hotline and its successor service; [40806]
(5) what is his estimate of the total mileage of traffic cones in place on the United Kingdom roads network; and what was the equivalent figure for October 1992. [40807]
§ Mr. Watts[holding answer 1 November 1995]: These are operational matters for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Laurie Haynes to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 6 November 1995:
As you know, the Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr. John Watts, has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking the Secretary of State for Transport for information on the cones hotline and its successor service.The cones hotline was introduced in June 1992 and was incorporated into the new, more general Highways Agency information line in September 1995. Information on the cones hotline service was given in Hansard on 10 July 1995, vol 263, cols 403 to 404. Highways Agency regularly reviews the needs of road users and we decided to expand the service into a broader information service which will be abe to tell people where roadworks are in place, when they are due to be completed and what delays can be expected as well as giving more general information about the Highways Agency.Between June 1992 and September 1995 there was a total of 19,500 calls to the hotline and information line. There were 6,000 calls between June 1992 and February 1994, a further 8,000 calls between March 1994 and February 1995 and 5,500 calls between March 1995 and September 1995.The cost of establishing and running the cones hotline prior to March 1994 is not available as, until then, calls were routed through the Department of Transport's general enquiry number. The estimated average cost of handling each call during the financial year 1994–95 is £2.22. The only additional cost of setting up the new service will be change to roadwork signing. Costs for these will be negligible because new signs are generally being phased in as new roadwork sites are started.The traffic management arrangements for the roadwork at M3 junction 2 (M25 interchange) were changed at the beginning of this month following calls from motorists and discussions with the local police and our agents. Information is not held centrally on the length of roadwork altered or removed following calls.The Highways Agency is responsible for trunk roads including motorways in England. Our target is to keep 93% of lanes available on each individual route, and 95% of lanes on the whole trunk road network available at all times. Over the first six months of this financial year, we exceeded this target with over 99 per cent. of lanes on the trunk road network available. Information is not available on the equivalent figure for October 1992, or on the extent of roadworks on local authority roads in England. Roads in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the respective Secretaries of State.I hope this information is helpful.