§ 25. Vice-Admiral Hughes Hallettasked the Minister of Transport his reasons for opposing the request of 1287 Croydon Council for a pedestrian crossing in Lower Addiscombe Road, by Ashling Road.
§ Mr. HayThere are already two pedestrian crossings on a 400-yard stretch of Lower Addiscombe Road which covers its junction with Ashling Road. Multiplication of pedestrian crossings is no necessary guarantee of safety; a better solution, which we have asked the council to consider, would be the re-siting of the existing crossings, with pedestrian guard-rails to ensure their maximum use.
§ Vice-Admiral Hughes HallettDoes not my hon. Friend realise how frustrating it is to a local authority when its proposals in these matters are so consistently turned down, and how disturbing it is to local opinion when these proposals are backed, as in this case, by the finding of the coroner at a recent inquest? Is my hon. Friend satisfied that more authority could not be delegated to local highways committees?
§ Mr. HayNo, Sir; these are extremely difficult questions and we have to be guided by the advice of our divisional road engineers, who are highly qualified and who know the district mentioned. I am not always certain that the views of the local authority are necessarily the best in these cases, but in this instance it would be as well if our suggestion to the council could be very carefully considered.