§ 23. Mr. Jegerasked the Minister of Transport whether he has studied the 25 conclusions reached at the European Road Safety Conference in Strasbourg in April; and what action he proposes to take to implement them.
§ Mr. MarplesThe conclusions cover a wide range of subjects. Some of them deal with matters on which good progress has already been made in this country. Others will require closer investigation, and I would prefer not to forecast what my eventual view of them is likely to be.
§ Mr. JegerWould the right hon. Gentleman like to forecast when he will give it urgent consideration, since questions of road safety, whether in Britain alone or in Britain and Europe, are urgent, particularly during the coming tourist season?
§ Mr. MarplesI quite agree. Although one can never be satisfied with figures for accidents and deaths in this country, they are better than for most countries on the Continent which have been contributing to these recommendations. Several of the conclusions are general recommendations with which no one 1141 could disagree, for example that increased pedestrian segregation is desirable. We all know that, but it is a question of how best we can do it. We have not done too badly but we can never be complacent with this awful carnage that goes on on the roads.