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Dept for Transport

Answer

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the rates of congestion were on the M54 between Shrewsbury and Telford in each year since 1997; [138355] (2) what the rates of congestion were on the A5 road between Shrewsbury and Wrexham in each year since 1997. [138371] Mr. McNulty: I have asked the Acting Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Stephen Hickey, to write to the hon. Member. Letter from Stephen Hickey to Mr. Paul Marsden, dated 18 November 2003: I have been asked by Tony McNulty to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about rates of congestion on the A5 road between Shrewsbury and Telford and Shrewsbury and Wrexham in each year since 1997. Established modelling techniques are used by the Department for Transport and the Highways Agency in England to assess existing road congestion and forecast future congestion for specific purposes such as the preparation of road improvements. A consequence of this is a `stress map' indicating those parts of the motorway and trunk road network that are experiencing peak and off-peak congestion. The latest available version of the map was published in the Ten Year Plan for Transport, a copy of which is available in the House Library, The length of A5 between the Welsh border and Wrexham is the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly. Regular measurement of journey times at the level of detail required (by most congestion indicators) has not been carried out in the past, mainly on economic grounds. The opening of the Highways Agency's Traffic Control Centre next year will greatly improve our knowledge of traffic conditions and will lead to comprehensive information on journey times and speeds being made generally available to the travelling public.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

413 c734W; 138355;138371

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Road traffic Wrexham Telford Shrewsbury A5 M54

Link

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