§ Mr. Greg KnightTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many schemes are in place on motorways in the UK where use is allowed of the hard shoulder during rush hours; and what plans he has to increase this number. [76522]
§ Mr. SpellarThere are at present no instances of the hard shoulder being used during rush hours in England. A forthcoming project on the M42 (the Active Traffic Management (ATM) Project) will trial the use of hard shoulder running at peak periods and at other times to help reduce congestion. The trial between Junction 3A (the M40) and Junction 7 (the M6) and will be subject to rigorous safety requirements. For the devolved Administrations, this is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales, the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly.