Earl Attleeasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their estimate of the total number of bridge and highway authorities which abnormal load operators may be obliged to notify under the Authorisation of Special Types General Order as at (a) 1 March 1987 and (b) 1 March 1997.
67WA
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Transport (Viscount Goschen)Abnormal load operators are obliged to notify bridge and highways authorities when the weight of their vehicles and load exceeds those permitted for conventional vehicles by the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations.
The total number of authorities for England, Wales and Scotland are set out in the table below.
Roads Authorities Rail and Canal Bridge Authorities 1 March 1987 1 March 1997 1 March 1987 1 March 1997 137 184 6 9 The table shows the total of trunk road, motorway and local road authorities.
Rail and canal bridge authorities includes Railtrack and Babtie (representing British Rail Property Board's disused rail lines) for the railway network and British Waterways Board (BWB).
These figures do not include certain bridges which are not the direct responsibility of a highway authority such as the Dartford Crossing (QE2 Bridge), Severn Bridge(s), Humber Bridge and Haven Bridge (Gt. Yarmouth) and London Underground and Mersey Tunnels.