§ 48. Lieut.-Colonel MOOREasked the Minister of Transport whether, with a view to furthering the campaign for reducing road accidents, he will take fresh steps to ensure that highway authorities shall do their utmost to carry out the terms of Section 58 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, which declares that it is their duty to provide, wherever necessary or desirable, proper footpaths for pedestrians and margins for riders?
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAThe provision of footways or margins or both in all cases where they are practicable and desirable is now a condition of grants from the Road Fund. Similarly, all highway authorities have been warned that grants will not be made towards road widening operations by which pedestrians are deprived of footways or verges.
§ Lieut.-Colonel MOOREMay I call the Minister's attention to the fact that he has not included in his answer any reference to horses; and may I ask him whether he considers that horses should be excluded from this beneficent lifesaving provision?
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAI was not intending to exclude horses. I used the word "verge," winch would include them.
§ Commander MARSDENWhere footpaths are provided, will the Minister take care that the surface of the path is as good as that of the road? On all country roads now every pedestrian walks on the tarred surface of the road, which affords better going than the rougher surface of the path.