Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Traffic Flow: Congleton

Thursday 19 January 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Managing the traffic on local roads is the responsibility of the local traffic authorities, in this case, Cheshire East Council.
  • Cheshire East Council is subject to a network management duty requiring them to manage roads for expeditious movement for all traffic.
  • HS2 Ltd and National Highways identified the need for works on the A54 Middlewich Road to mitigate traffic impacts forecast at the Chester Road junction during construction.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Fiona Bruce Con
Transport
Context

Congleton residents are experiencing issues with traffic congestion, affecting daily life and movement.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to help improve traffic flow in Congleton constituency. Managing the traffic on local roads is a critical issue for residents facing daily challenges due to congestion.

Answer from Richard Holden

Managing the traffic on local roads is the responsibility of the local traffic authorities—in this case, Cheshire East Council. They are subject to a network management duty which requires them to manage their roads to deliver expeditious movement for all traffic, including pedestrians. A wide range of tools is already available to help them to manage congestion and traffic flow.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not specify any concrete steps or actions by the Department beyond mentioning local authority responsibility.

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Q2 Fiona Bruce Con
Transport
Context

Cheshire East Council has raised concerns about the need to alter the A54 Middlewich Road-Chester Road junction in connection with HS2 plans, despite the planned route being distant from the area.

Question

I was prompted to raise this question by Cheshire East Council. Can the Minister explain, for the benefit of Holmes Chapel residents, why the Middlewich Road-Chester Road junction may require alteration in connection with plans for High Speed 2, bearing in mind that the planned HS2 route is some distance away?

Answer from Richard Holden

I know how strongly my hon. Friend campaigns on behalf of her constituents. The A54 Middlewich Road services an emergency diversion route for the M6. HS2 Ltd and National Highways identified the need for works on the route to mitigate traffic impacts forecast at the Chester Road junction during the construction of HS2, and measures have therefore been developed to improve the junction. A supplementary environmental statement for additional provision 1 to the High Speed Rail (Crewe - Manchester) Bill describes the reasoning behind the inclusion of this junction improvement, and HS2 is in the process of sharing the technical work that supports it with the local highways authority in Chester East.

Answered
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