§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent research has been conducted(a) for and (b) by his Department on predicting journey times for (i) freight, (ii) passengers and (iii) car journeys; and if he will make a statement [66312]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Highways Agency has carried out research to investigate the feasibility of providing road users with predictions of journey times to selected local destinations, such as airports, for display on variable message signs.
The Highways Agency has recently completed a study of journey times experienced around motorways in the west midlands and is presently considering options for wider promulgation of the results of the study.
The Highways Agency is also analysing the suitability of journey time data collected by a number of systems both within the Agency and developed by the private sector, for the purposes of scheme evaluation by the Agency.
The Department is undertaking research at present to provide a better understanding of the causes of journey time variability in congested conditions on motorways.