To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the introduction of hard shoulder running on the M42, with particular reference to road safety. (114238)

M42 hard shoulder running was introduced on 12 September 2006 as part of the Active Traffic Management project. Operations are being closely monitored to ensure that the systems are working efficiently and that any potential issues that might compromise road safety are quickly resolved.

Early evaluation of the impact of hard shoulder running on traffic conditions is showing that average journey times during peak periods have been reduced. The day-to-day variability of journey times has reduced on weekdays, meaning users can plan their journeys better. There is reduced congestion on the section and average traffic speeds have been smoothed so that more drivers are travelling at around 50 mph. This has helped reduce the severity of traffic flow breakdown and improved road safety. Speed differentials between lanes have reduced, suggesting that drivers are less likely to change lanes unnecessarily, thereby improving road safety.

Early indications are therefore, that the scheme is working well, but it is too early to draw final conclusions of the impact of hard shoulder running on the safety of the section. This is because motorways are generally very safe and incidents occur infrequently. Early information will be provided following collection of six months of personal injury accident data. This is expected by autumn 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the experimental use of the hard shoulder on the M42 motorway as an additional lane for moving traffic. (114561)

M42 hard shoulder running was introduced on 12 September 2006 as part of the Active Traffic Management (ATM) project.

The Highways Agency is monitoring the impact of hard shoulder running and early indications have determined that average journey times during peak periods have been reduced. The day-to-day variability of journey times has also been reduced on weekdays meaning that users can plan their journeys better. Congestion has been reduced on the section and average traffic speeds have been smoothed so that more drivers are travelling at around 50 mph. This have helped reduce flow breakdown and has therefore improved road safety. Speed differential between lanes has been reduced, suggesting that drivers will be less likely to change lanes unnecessarily, therefore improving road safety.

These results are indicative of the potential impact of hard shoulder running, but robust conclusions cannot be drawn until at least six months of reliable data have been collected. The assessment of traffic conditions will be produced by autumn 2007.