§ 18. Mr. Danceasked the Minister of Works whether, in the interests of road safety, he will consider removing the statue sited in Hyde Park by the Duke of Edinburgh Gate.
§ The Minister of Works (Lord John Hope)No, Sir. The siting of the statue was agreed with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport. I am considering in consultation with him whether the position of the traffic signals and stop lines can be improved.
§ Mr. DanceHas my noble Friend used this gate recently? I can assure him that I was very nearly "written off" myself the other day. Is he aware that the plinth of the statue is vast, that it is high, and that it is quite impossible to see to the right when travelling eastwards? Admittedly, there are traffic lights, but, unfortunately, people jump traffic lights, and I was nearly jumped on myself the other day by a sports car. As, in the view of most people, this is not a beautiful statue, and as it would not deprive the British public of anything beautiful if he would consider 203 moving it, will not my noble Friend reconsider the matter?
§ Lord John HopeIt is a bit hard to blame it on the statue when people want to jump the lights, but I think there is a point here. We may be able to help considerably by putting the stop line further forward, so that one can get beyond the plinth.