M6 Toll Road

Mr. Jenkins
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the creation of the M6 toll road on the number of vehicles using alternative motorways and roads in the area.

Dr. Ladyman
Following the opening of the M6 toll a number of reports have been produced. These include the M6 Traffic Monitoring Study: Traffic Impact Study Report which covered the first three months after opening and the M6 Toll After Study: Traffic and Safety Summary which covered the first year of opening. Both reports are available on the Highways Agency website at:

http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/documents/220_m6_toll _traffic_study.pdf

http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/documents/one_year_ after_study.pdf

Copies have also been placed in the Libraries of the House. The Highways Agency continues to monitor traffic flows on the motorway and trunk roads in the area.

Mr. Jenkins
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) cars, (b) lorries and (c) motorbikes used the M6 toll road in each year since its creation.

Dr. Ladyman
The operators of the M6 toll, Midland Expressway Limited, have provided the following figures showing the annual number of vehicles using the toll road since it opened in December 2003. In addition to the categories requested, the company separately records details of vans and light commercial vehicles and these have also been included.

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|                      |Cars      |Lorries  |Motorcycles|Vans/light commercial|Total     |
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|2004                  |15,775,261|261,787  |41,356     |664,441              |16,742,845|
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|2005                  |15,244,547|378,385  |35,040     |686,377              |16,344,349|
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|20061                 |11,961,606|362,365  |31,142     |567,641              |12,922,754|
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|Sub total             |42,981,414|1,002,537|107,538    |1,918,459            |46,009,948|
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|1 To end of September.|          |         |           |                     |          |
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