§ 12. Mr. W. Shepherdasked the Minister of Transport the number of toll roads and bridges in the United Kingdom; what plans exist for their elimination; and when the Government expect to complete the project.
§ Mr. BarnesThere are 59 toll bridges and 41 toll roads in Great Britain, of which five and one respectively are on trunk roads. Of these, three bridges and the road were transferred to me on 1st April, 1946, by the Trunk Roads Act. These tolls on trunk roads will he eliminated as rapidly as possible. Plans have already been prepared for bypassing two of the bridges, and negotiations are in progress which will, I hope, shortly result in the freeing of the third. As regards other roads, the initiative rests with the responsible highway authorities, but I am prepared to consider for grant any application from a highway authority which has as its object the freeing of a toll road or bridge on a classified road.