§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to introduce high-occupancy vehicle lanes on the motorway systems of the M1, M62 and the new sections of the Al in Yorkshire; and if he will make a statement. [38999]
§ Mr. WattsThis is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 25 October 1995:
As you know, the Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr. John Watts, has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the introduction of high occupancy vehicle lanes on the M1, M62 and the new sections of the Al in Yorkshire.There are currently no plans to introduce high occupancy vehicle lanes on the MI, the M62 or on the new sections of the Al in Yorkshire. However, the Highways Agency is studying the use of high occupancy vehicle lanes overseas.Although useful lessons can be learnt from the experience of others, we need to judge how effective the technique is likely to be on the UK network with its traffic flow levels, types of driver behaviour and road layout. If the results of our studies are promising, we will consider introducing a pilot scheme at a selected site to trial the initiative.