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Dept of the Environment Transport and the Regions

Answer

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his Department's policy towards traffic noise. [135147] Mr. Hill: An Integrated Transport White Paper explained that we need to gain a better understanding of the effects of transport noise and expect advances in technology to provide some reductions in the impact of noise from road traffic. It is for local authorities to decide what further measures would be appropriate on their roads. My policies as highway authority for the strategic national road network were set out in "A New Deal for Trunk Roads" which was published along with the White Paper in July 1998. This states that quieter surfaces are to be used for all new trunk road schemes and resurfacing existing roads in an area where noise was a matter of concern. The Ten Year Plan for Transport, published in July, should enable the Highways Agency to install by 2011 quieter surfaces on over 60 per cent. of the national road network including all concrete stretches. In addition, funds are to be ring-fenced to permit the Highways Agency to provide over the next ten years other measures such as noise barriers in some of the worst and most pressing cases where there is no immediate need for the road to be resurfaced.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

355 c304-5W;355 c305-6W; 135147

Session

1999-00

Subjects

Finance Pollution control Noise Materials Road traffic Roads Concrete Construction methods

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk