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Bypasses

Volume 204: debated on Friday 21 February 1992

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To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many bypasses his Department has funded in (a) Scotland, (b) Fife and (c) north-east Fife in the last 10 years for which information is available; and what sums have been spent in doing so.

The figures requested are as follows:

  • (a) 38 bypasses at a cost of £373 million,
  • (b) 1 bypass at a cost of £3·4 million,
  • (c) none.
  • These figures exclude the construction of the £40 million east Fife regional road which effectively bypassed many towns and villages in central Fife.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the criteria his Department uses in determining whether a bypass should be built.

    Many factors are used in determining the need for a bypass and the relative priority of these varies depending on local circumstances. Criteria include: traffic flow and composition such as the percentages of heavy goods vehicles and the proportion of through traffic; safety considerations for vehicles and pedestrians; environmental factors such as noise benefits to residential or commercial properties; the feasibility and economic viability of a bypass route; and the relationship to local and national development plans and transport strategy.