§ 37. Mr. George Jegerasked the Minister of Transport whether he will make regulations of general application about the use and quantity of parking lights on parked vehicles in view of the varying practice throughout the country.
Mr. BraithwaiteThe law requires vehicles standing at night on roads, other than parking places where the police authority has consented to the parking of vehicles without lights, to carry two lamps (one for bicycles and invalid carriages) showing a white light to the front and one lamp showing a red light to the rear, all of which must be visible from a reasonable distance.
New legislation would be necessary to alter the general requirement of two white lights and one red one.
§ Mr. JegerIs the Parliamentary Secretary aware that in various parts of the country a parking light affixed to a car which shows a white light in one direction and a red light to the rear is considered adequate by the police, whereas there are other areas in which the police take exception to one parking light being exhibited? Could there not be some co-ordination between the various authorities in different parts of the country so that a motorist does not go to the expense of affixing a parking light, which is regarded as satisfactory in his area, only to discover that it is not satisfactory in other parts of the country?
Mr. BraithwaiteThe hon. Gentleman is quite right. The police have powers to exercise discretion at authorised street car-parks and it would require legislation to alter that situation.