HC Deb 31 January 1956 vol 548 c736
16. Mr. Dodds

asked the Parliamen tary Secretary to the Ministry of Works,as representing the Lord President of the Council, what progress has been made by the Road Research Laboratory in its experiments designed to de-ice slippery roads; and what assistance is to be given to highway authorities in this connection.

Mr. Bevins

The work of the Road Research Laboratory has confirmed that salt is generally the best means of remoing ice from roads. The Laboratory has issued a pamphlet to highway authorities on the subject.

Mr. Dodds

Does that mean that after all this research we are back where we were before, and that highway authorities must use the old methods?

Mr. Bevins

On the contrary; the Road Research Laboratory has not been idle in this matter. It has done a great deal of research in relation to the provision of electrical heating for difficult road surfaces, and already has a prototype machine for removing hard-packed snow from roads.

Lieut-Colonel Lipton

In the meantime, can we have sufficient sand and gravel to deal with the situation?