§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the average cost of constructing(a) pelican, (b) puffin and (c) zebra crossings. [62877]
§ Mr. SpellarSite circumstances can affect the cost of constructing crossings by a substantial amount. However, for the simplest pelican, puffin or zebra crossing the costs426W would be in the region of £24,000, £27,000 and £7,500 respectively. This would include necessary design, equipment and civil engineering costs for a crossing on a typical 30 mph urban road. It would also include high skid resistance surfacing. For higher speed roads the zebra crossing would not be suitable and an additional cost of £10,000, for additional equipment and works, should be added to the pelican and puffin costs.
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the average cost of upgrading a pelican crossing to a puffin crossing. [62876]
§ Mr. SpellarThe cost of upgrading a pelican to a puffin crossing will vary from site to site, depending on the number of pedestrian signals to be changed and the number of special pedestrian detectors required. Depending on the age of the installation there may also be a need to change the controller, cabling, posts, etc. However, the simplest conversion would be in the region of £4,000 to £5,000.
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the average reduction in traffic speeds resulting from the construction of(a) pelican, (b) puffin and (c) zebra crossings; and if he will make a statement. [62879]
§ Mr. SpellarThe impact of pedestrian crossings on traffic speeds will depend on where the crossings are in the network. It is for local highway authorities to assess effects on the local road network.
Because many crossings will be located at sites which do not lead to significant interruptions to traffic flow, the impact on overall journey times from such crossings will be minimal.