§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what criteria his Department uses when allowing motorway hard shoulders to be used as traffic lanes. [127397]
§ Mr. HillTrunk road investment proposals are appraised against the criteria—environmental impact, safety, economy, accessibility and integration—as required by the New Approach To Appraisal.
To date, only a few short sections of hard shoulder have been converted to provide additional capacity at junctions. This technique is used when queueing traffic on the slip road extends back towards the main carriageway, compromises safety and/or disrupts throughput on the main carriageway.