Written question asked by Bill Wiggin (Conservative) on Friday, 9 July 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 20 July 2004. It was answered by David Jamieson (Labour) on Tuesday, 20 July 2004 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Dept for Transport

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department has commissioned on preventative measures to restrict damage to transport (a) infrastructure and (b) services caused by adverse weather conditions.

Answer: Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has commissioned on preventative measures to restrict damage to transport (a) infrastructure and (b) services caused by adverse weather conditions. [184037] Mr. Jamieson: The Department has commissioned a number of projects addressing the impact of adverse weather conditions on transport infrastructure and services. This includes the following recent projects: (a) Infrastructure Investigation of the value for money of winter maintenance Prevention and removal of snow and ice on roads De-icing of modern surfaces Salt spread rates for thin surfacings Low humidity salting New de-icers for Midland Links Review of flooding incidents on the (HA) network Slope stability and establishment of vegetation Revision of wind data for BS5400 The Changing Climate: Impact on the DfT (b) Services Performance of variable message signs in adverse weather conditions High Speed Craft Wind Heeling Moment Methodology Integrated Safety Guards and Spray Suppression for Heavy Goods Vehicles The majority of the projects are funded by the Highways Agency and further information can be obtained from their website www.highways.gov.uk. The remaining projects are funded by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and DfT(C) with further information available at www.mcga.gov.uk and www.dft.gov.uk respectively.

Secondary information