§ Mr. ChidgeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have been employed in the Vehicle Inspectorate on(a) operational and (b) management duties in each of the last five years. [8112]
§ Mr. NorrisI have asked the chief executive of the Vehicle Inspectorate to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ron Oliver to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 9 January 1996:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of people employed in the Vehicle Inspectorate (VI) on operational and management duties in each of the last 5 years.The figures below show the total number of staff employed over the last 5 years.
Year Number of Staff 1990–91 1,653 1991–92 1,879 1992–93 1,861 1993–94 1,768 1994–95 1,649 Note:
Staffing expressed in whole time equivalents averaged over the year
It is difficult to define whether staff are involved with operational or management duties and such information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, the attached table provides a breakdown of the senior management structure within the Inspectorate over the last 9 years.
Source:
VI Annual Reports.
(3) if the traffic model used in the 1995 Newbury bypass study report by the Highways Agency was the same as that used for the public inquiry of 1988; [8068]
(4) what percentage increase was assumed by the Highways Agency in the traffic model for the A34 Newbury bypass in the total number of trips between 1983 and 1995; if this percentage increase was applied equally to all traffic; and what was the total number of trips in the model for 1995; [8047]
35W(5) if the figure for traffic quoted in the Highways Agency's Newbury bypass study report for the A34 inner relief road takes into account the suppression of traffic demand through congestion; [8066]
(6) what is the capacity of the A34 inner relief road in Newbury; [8065]
(7) what considerations led him not to carry out a traffic survey data for the Highways Agency study report of the Newbury bypass in 1995. [8067]
§ Mr. WattsI have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Cynog Dafis, dated 9 January 1996:
As you know, John Watts has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about the A34 Newbury Bypass.The Highways Agency Study last year estimated that induced traffic could increase traffic on the Bypass by 10%. The Study Report has been made freely available to both public bodies and the general public since it's publication last July.The forecast traffic flows on the A334 Inner Relief Road in Newbury with and without the proposed [...]bypass[...] are shown in the table below. The bypass provides relief by allowing longer distance through traffic to avoid the town, local traffic would continue to use the existing A34. The flows given in the table assuming the bypass is completed should be treated as indicative. In practice they will depend on what local traffic management measures are developed to maximise the benefits brought by the bypass. This will be particularly important for the longer term, where flows will be heavily dependent on how traffic is managed in Newbury as a whole. For this reason the table does not attempt to forecast flows beyond 2010.
Without bypass With bypass Year Low growth High growth Low growth High growth 2000 57,000 63,000 35,000 39,000 2005 61,000 70,000 38,000 43,000 2010 65,000 78,000 40,000 48,000 The flows given are Annual Average Daily Traffic for low and high growthThe traffic model used to assess the scheme at the 1988 public inquiry was updated to a 1990 base using observed growth in Newbury. The updating of the model was undertaken on a disaggregate basis such that individual zone to zone movements were growthed up separately. The total number of trips in the model for 1983 and 1990 are approximately 100,000 and 142,300 respectively, which equates to overall growth of 42%.Since the model was rebased to 1990 no further major updating has been undertaken. Model forecasts for 1995 have not therefore been produced.The traffic appraisal work reported in the 1995 Newbury Bypass Study Report was largely based on the traffic model prepared for the 1988 public inquiry and subsequently updated for the 1992 inquiry. Additional information on existing flows was obtained from measured traffic counts undertaken on the A34 in 1994.The traffic flows forecasts quoted in the Study Report for the A34 Inner Relief Road do not make any specific allowance for suppression of demand due to congestion.However, a number of separate economic sensitivity tests were undertaken which restricted traffic growth within Newbury, including the existing A34, to reflect the effects of congestion suppressing demand. These tests indicate that the scheme continues to be good value for money.Existing Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) flows on the A34 Inner Relief Road in Newbury are approximately 50,000 vehicles per day. This flow level results in significant congestion during 36W weekday peaks and at times during summer weekends. Within these periods the road operates close to its maximum capacity. Conditions for long distance through traffic are generally very poor and intolerable at times. More local traffic within Newbury also suffers significantly because of congestion. The overall level of service is very low.The ultimate carrying capacity of an urban road over a whole day depends on many factors including the urban nature of the road, the proportion of heavy vehicles, the effects of junctions and their capacities, the interaction of local and longer distance through traffic, the variation in traffic flows throughout the day and how traffic demand spreads from peak to off peak periods.Capacity also depends on the interaction of these factors which is complex. It is therefore very difficult to state a precise daily flow which represents the maximum flow the A34 could carry. In theory there is some scope for traffic flow to increase above existing levels outside the peak periods. But in practice for this to happen would require a significant change in driver behaviour to travel in the relatively less busy parts of the day.During the review of the Newbury bypass, the Highways Agency used information from the traffic model developed for the 1988 and 1992 public inquiries into the scheme, supplemented with traffic count data collected during 1994.In addition a number of induced traffic appraisals were undertaken based on a range of assumptions which confirmed that the scheme represents good value for money, even under the most onerous assessment conditions.In the circumstances, the Agency considered that the traffic information available for the scheme was sufficiently detailed and robust with no fundamental change to traffic patterns other than increasing congestion, to carry out the review without the need for extensive new data collection.
§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy in respect of a package bid for Newbury(a) with or (b) without a western bypass. [8062]
§ Mr. WattsWe have yet to receive the royal county of Berkshire's formal 1996–97 transport policies and programme package bid for Newbury, and until we have received and considered it, we cannot comment. However, I understand that the county is looking to implement a local transport strategy that would be complementary to the Newbury bypass.