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Strategic Routes (South-West)

I cannot give the hon. Gentleman that sort of information this evening. I can certainly investigate the matter and write to him setting out the latest position. I can assure him that we are keen to work with stakeholders and local communities to identify designs for schemes that have the least possible negative impact on local communities. If there is a way of building the scheme that does not add to the cost and is just as effective, but does not have those negative consequences, we will look at it. I will happily write to him about that. To return to the regional funding allocation process, I understand that hon. Members may be disappointed about the outcome, but, nevertheless, we accepted the region’s advice. We have asked those involved in the regional funding allocation to look at their priorities again and come back to us next year to tell us whether those priorities have changed. I put it to the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome, his colleagues on the Back Benches, and hon. Members across the House that if they do not like the priorities that their region has come up with, they have the opportunity over the next year to work within their local region to win over people’s hearts and minds to a reprioritisation process. We would be just as delighted to accept that advice as we were to accept the original advice. Let me deal with the safety concerns that the hon. Gentleman has alluded to, in particular in respect of the Ilchester and Sparkford section. The level of accidents on that stretch is not significantly higher than the average for trunk roads. The national average is 16 personal injury accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres and the rate for that section of road is 16.72. However, that is not an argument for not taking other opportunities to improve safety when we can do so sensibly. We thus recently invested £450,000 in safety improvements at the Podimore roundabout. Although it is still only a year since the scheme was introduced, the early indications are encouraging. The number of accidents has dropped from an average of 19.25 a year, as measured over a four-year period, to just six in 2006, which was the first year of the scheme’s operation. Let me turn to noise levels. The hon. Gentleman said that he wanted the A303 to be resurfaced. I understand his constituents’ distress about the problem, but highways are resurfaced to maintain their safety. We do not have the resources to resurface highways simply to reduce noise. When the highway needs to be resurfaced for purposes of maintenance or safety, quieter materials will be used. However, these days we do not resurface in advance of a need for maintenance. Concern was expressed about the inappropriate use by heavy goods vehicles of the A37, which provides a link between Dorchester and Bristol, and the A350/A36, which provides a link between Poole and Bath. Somerset county council is responsible for those roads. It says that it aims to discourage the use of those unsuitable routes through dialogue and publicity, and, when necessary, by introducing weight restrictions. If the hon. Gentleman does not think that those measures are working, I am afraid that he needs to take up the matter with Somerset county council, rather than with me. The hon. Gentleman and the hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Angela Browning) raised an important point about satellite navigation. I am not in a position to update the information that I gave in the Adjournment debate to which the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome referred. However, we are determined to do something about the inappropriate use of satellite navigation. It is ridiculous that the drivers of lorries and heavy goods vehicles are using car-based satellite navigation systems and ending up with the sort of problems that he identified. We are analysing the results of our consultation and we will come forward with proposals on how to deal with the situation as soon as we can. I am sure that I have not given the hon. Gentleman the comfort that he was seeking. However, I hope that he will re-engage with the regional prioritisation process over the next 12 months to find out whether he can influence the local area’s priorities. I will certainly let the House know that we are in a position to say what we will do about satellite navigation and the use of inappropriate roads by heavy goods vehicles as soon as the information is available. Question put and agreed to.