§ 7. Lieut.-Colonel Liptonasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many pedestrians were killed or seriously injured on zebra crossings during 1955 as compared with 1954.
§ Mr. WatkinsonFigures for the whole year will not be available until the end of this month. During the first eleven months of 1955, sixty-three persons were killed and 697 seriously injured on zebra crossings. Corresponding figures for the first eleven months of 1954 are, sixty-four persons killed and 675 seriously injured.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LiptonIs the Minister taking note of the fact that the number of people killed and injured on zebra crossings seems to be steadily rising? Is that a good argument in favour of zebra crossings?
§ Mr. WatkinsonA fact of which I have taken note is that, allowing for the very large increase in traffic last year, the figures of accidents on zebra crossings have remained very much the same. I am not saying that there are not difficult problems to overcome—there are—but at least accidents on crossings are not increasing pro rata to the traffic.
§ Mr. PageCan my right hon. Friend give any figures showing how many of these accidents occurred through cars overtaking on the approaches to pedestrian crossings? Is that one of the difficult problems which he can try to overcome?
§ Mr. WatkinsonMy hon. Friend is on a very good point, and I am having a technical study made of that cause.