§ 66. Mr. Errollasked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that out of a total of 183,000 miles of road in this country over 46,000 are restricted to a speed limit of 30 miles per hour; and what steps he proposes to take in the near future to consult with local authorities as to how the present high proportion of restricted roads can be reduced, with a view to increasing the efficiency of road traffic in this country and reducing the waste of manpower caused by such restriction.
§ Mr. BarnesYes, Sir, but I would point out that about two-thirds of the restricted
| SCHEMES ESTIMATED TO COST £ 25,000 OR MORE | |||
| County | Description of Scheme | Estimated Cost | |
| £ | |||
| Argyll | … | Connel-Glencoe Trunk Road. Diversions and widening between Kentallen and Balachulish. | 70,000 |
| Argyll | … | *Kiel-Inversanda Road A.861. Reconstruction of a length of about 8 miles, including provision of a new bridge at Ardmurchan. | 169,000 |
| Argyll | … | *Fionphort-Kinloch Bridge Road A.861. Reconstruction between Fionphprt and Beach, a length of about 11 miles. | 136,000 |
| Inverness | … | *Invermoriston Road A.887. Reconstruction of a length of about 14 miles at Glen Moriston. | 193,000 |
| Inverness | … | *Portree-Staffin Road A.855. Reconstruction between Portree and Loch Leathan, a length of about 5 miles. | 42,000 |
| Lanark | … | Carlisle-Glasgow Trunk Road A.74. Widening and reconstruction Newfield Inn to Lesmahagow, a length of about 1 mile. | 60,000 |
| Lanark | … | Glasgow-Stirling Trunk Road A.80. Widening from Glasgow City boundary to Steppes Railway Bridge, a length of about ½ mile. | 67,000 |
| Renfrew | … | *Paisley-Renfrew Road A.741. Widening and reconstruction between Porterfield Road and the Paisley Burgh boundary, a lengh of about 1,400 yards. | 55,000 |
| Schemes marked with an asterisk are on classified roads; the remainder are on trunk roads. In addition, there are 41 smaller schemes estimated to cost £230,000. |
§ roads are unclassified and the greater part of them are urban streets. A close watch is kept to see that important traffic routes are not unnecessarily restricted, and local authorities are aware of the importance that I attach to dispensing with unnecessary speed limits.
§ Mr. ErrollIn view of the fact that excessive restrictions can only lead to abuse of the law, will the Minister urgently consider the very sensible recommendations recently submitted by the A.A. and R.A.C.?
§ Mr. BarnesYes, Sir. They are under examination.