§ 43. Sir F. Medlicottasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware that British methods of road construction still lag behind those which 1139 obtain in the United States of America and other countries; and what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that speedier methods of road construction already in use in other countries shall be adopted in Great Britain without further delay.
§ Mr. WatkinsonOn road works of comparable scale and character British methods of construction do not lag behind those of other countries. Greater speed will be achieved when it is possible to undertake the construction of long continuous sections of new roads and motorways. With this in view, the Department's standard specification for trunk roads, which includes a wide range of alternative forms of construction, has recently been revised in consultation with the Road Research Laboratory and the Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors.
§ Sir F. MedlicottIs my right hon. Friend not aware that it seems to take in this country months to do stretches of road which in other countries are dealt with in weeks or even days? Can he not try to import some sense of urgency into this matter?
§ Mr. WatkinsonTo be fair, my hon. Friend must compare like with like. He will find, where there are small delays in road construction, that under the roads here there is a vast network of pipes, sewers and electricity mains, whereas in the wide-open spaces of America there are none of these things.