ONE-WAY STREETS (Hansard, 9 February 1966)

§ LORD MONTAGU OF BEAULIEU
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF POWER (LORD LINDGREN)
My Lords, experimental traffic management schemes, including one-way systems, are continuously being undertaken in London and other cities. After these schemes have been given a fair period of trial, each traffic authority concerned, including my right honourable friend the Minister of Transport, carefully assesses the results of the schemes. If they are successful they are made permanent.
727 My right honourable friend is fully aware of the considerable benefits of the proper application of traffic management measures. She recognises that these schemes, which include one-way systems, play a valuable part in relieving congestion and in assisting the free flow of traffic.
My right honourable friend is responsible for one-way schemes on trunk roads, while the Greater London Council and other local traffic authorities are responsible for initiating such schemes on other roads. These schemes must be worked out to meet specific local requirements, and my right honourable friend does not consider that an overall review would serve any useful purpose. But I can assure the noble Lord that my right honourable friend is giving every encouragement to local traffic authorities to introduce such schemes wherever they may prove advantageous.

§ LORD DOUGLAS OF BARLOCH
My Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether in assessing these schemes account will be taken of the detriment which in many cases occurs to the inhabitants of quiet, residential streets into which an enormous amount of one-way traffic is drawn on some occasions?

§ LORD LINDGREN
Yes, my Lords. Convenience and the detrimental effect are the two factors which have to be borne in mind. As my noble friend suggests, as a result of some of these schemes traffic is diverted to roads and areas which were not built for it, and sometimes this is disconcerting to residents.

§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTH
My Lords, is the noble Lord aware of the great inconvenience to the travelling public on London buses while some of these buses are being diverted? If I may cite an example, you can catch one of two buses for a journey from Victoria Station to Knightsbridge, one of which goes a long way round and costs 8d., the other of which takes a short route and costs 4d. That is a great inconvenience to the travelling public and it is all caused by this diversion of traffic. I wonder whether the noble Lord could do something about this position so as to ease the unfortunate position of the travelling public.

§ LORD LINDGREN
Yes, my Lords. Of course this is London and not Scotland, otherwise as between the 4d. route and the 8d. one could always assume that the 4d. route would be taken! But it is one of the factors. Diversions are borne in mind in relation to the advantages and disadvantages. One has to get a free flow of traffic, which is of greater safety both to pedestrians and to vehicles.

LORD HAWKE
My Lords, while I agree that a free flow of traffic is highly desirable, would Her Majesty's Government not agree that it is highly undesirable that people should be charged extra bus fares for the diversion which has been ordered by the Ministry of Transport? Instead, should bus fares not be based on distances as the crow flies?

§ LORD LINDGREN
My Lords, I would have to go into that, but, normally, one would take the shortest route and pay the cheapest fare.

§ LORD BROCKET
My Lords, may I ask whether it is sometimes thought advisable for a one-way street to return to be a two-way street?

§ LORD LINDGREN
That sometimes happens in the experimental stage. The experimental stage comes first, and if it is shown not to be as successful as was thought, then the traffic would revert to its normal pattern.