HC Deb 30 October 1957 vol 575 c202
19. Mr. G. R. Strauss

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation why the new Gatwick by-pass is in part a dual carriage-way and in part a single carriage-way with three lines of traffic.

Mr. Watkinson

Because it will eventually be by-passed by the Brighton Radial Road, which will be a motorway. The present by-pass is intended to provide extra facilities only for the airport.

Mr. Strauss

That may well be, but is it not ridiculous that when a new road is being built some parts of it should be dual carriageway, some parts single carriageway—two lanes on one and three on the other? When a new road is being built, it should be dual carriageway from beginning to end. Is the Minister aware that there is no question of lacking space for building a big road, but that there is plenty of room on both sides of the road?

Mr. Watkinson

There are two other points. One is that the radial road, when built, will lie alongside the present road and, if the present road were all dual carriageway, there would then be two roads each with dual carriageways. Parts of the present road are dual carriageway, firstly, to facilitate entry into the cloverleaf junction within the airport and, secondly, because there were dangerous curves and my engineers did not want to miss the chance of dealing with them.