HC Deb 28 June 1955 vol 543 cc175-6
13. Sir C. Taylor

asked the Minister of Works whether he will raise the speed limit in St. James's Park and on Constitution Hill from 20 to 30 miles per hour.

Mr. Birch

Yes, Sir. I propose to lay an amending Regulation under the Parks Regulation Acts to raise the speed limit to 30 m.p.h. on Constitution Hill and in St. James's Park, which includes The Mall, Birdcage Walk and the Horse Guards Approach Road.

Sir C. Taylor

I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply, but would he consider extending the Regulation also to Hyde Park where, at the present moment, motorists consistently break the law under the watching eyes of the policemen?

Mr. Birch

There is a certain distinction between the two. The roads that I have mentioned are really ordinary traffic arteries whereas the roads in Hyde Park are in the park itself. I do not think that raising the speed limit in Hyde Park would do very much to speed up traffic, because the limiting factor to the flow of traffic is the entrances and exits, and not the speed along the roads. If one has a 20 m.p.h. speed limit motorists will go at just under 30 m.p.h., but if the limit is 30 m.p.h. they are apt to go just under forty.