HC Deb 12 May 2003 vol 405 cc131-2W
Mr. Kidney

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from(a) the Association of Chief Police Officers and (b) the RAC Foundation regarding the proposed Active Traffic Management Pilot Scheme. [111183]

Mr. Jamieson

The Secretary of State has not received any formal representations from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) nor the RAC Foundation with regard to the proposed Active Traffic Management pilot.

The Highways Agency have ongoing consultations with ACPO, which has provided appropriate advice to the Highways Agency as part of the development of the pilot. Discussions have also taken place with the various motoring organisations, and these discussions are on-going.

Mr. Kidney

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will restrict the number of lanes that heavy goods vehicles may use within the Active Traffic Management pilot scheme in the places where drivers are permitted to use the hard shoulder. [111402]

Mr. Jamieson

The detailed operation of hard shoulder running in the pilot scheme is currently being developed.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what basis, and for what reasons, a reassessment of the traffic statistics for 2000 began in 2002. [110812]

Mr. Jamieson

Starting in 2000–01, a number of steps have been taken to improve the quality of the published traffic estimates. These include an improvement in the database used to represent the road network, using a Geographic Information System and use of new data from the Highways Agency. Preliminary revisions to estimated traffic levels in 1999, 2000 and 2001, along with a note explaining the revisions, were published in the Transport Statistics Bulletin Road Traffic Statistics: 2001, issued in August 2002, a copy of which is in the Library. A full revised series back to 1993 will be published in the forthcoming quarterly bulletin Traffic in Great Britain: Q1 2003, on 8 May.