§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the levels of traffic growth for(a) England, (b) Hampshire and (c) each local authority in Hampshire in (i) 1979, (ii) 1990 and (iii) for each year from 1992 to date. [116477]
§ Mr. Hill[holding answer 27 March 2000]: The table provides annual growth estimates for all motor vehicle traffic on English roads. Separate estimates for England are not available before 1988; the growth figures for 1979 to 1988 are therefore based on Great Britain as a whole.
Estimated annual traffic growth on English roads 1979 to 1998 Year Annual percentage change in motorised road traffic 1979 -0.2 1980 6.2 1981 1.8 1982 2.7 1983 1.3 1984 5.2 1985 2.2 1986 5.1 1987 7.7 1988 7.2 1989 7.8 1990 1.4 1991 0.0 1992 -1.2 1993 0.6 1994 2.2 1995 1.4 1996 3.6 1997 2.5 1998 1.7 Note:
Data for 1979 to 1988 based on Great Britain averages.
The Department's annual road traffic statistics are currently based on 12-hour manual counts at about 8,500 sites each year, supplemented by data from automatic 323W traffic counters. Although this sample is now sufficient to provide reliable estimates by road type at a regional level, it is not large enough to provide estimates at the county or local authority level, particularly for minor roads. The 1999 manual count data are currently being analysed with a view to publication of a 1999 traffic growth estimate in May.