HC Deb 06 March 1963 vol 673 c383
21. Mr. Dance

asked the Minister of Transport if he will arrange for an experiment with remotely controlled warning signs to be conducted on the M.1 thereby enabling a comparison to be made in due course of the accident record before and after the experiment with a view to the assessment of the value of such installations on future motorways.

38. Mr. Gresham Cooke

asked the Minister of Transport when the results of the experiment on M.5 of illuminated signs giving warning of hazards will be ready.

Mr. Hay

The motoring organisations have suggested that we should install such signs on M.1, but because no spare circuits are available on that motorway we are arranging for a trial to be carried out on M.5 where spare circuits have been provided in the emergency telephone cable. All major motorways being built or to be built will similarly be equipped with spare circuits, as will M.1 when re-cabling is carried out. A record will be kept of accidents before and after the installation of the signs.

I cannot yet say when the results of the experiment will be available.

Mr. Dance

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply, which I know will cause great interest to the motoring organisations. I thank him very much indeed.

Mr. Gresham Cooke

Will my hon. Friend agree that it is quite clear that the use of these illuminated signs is becoming pretty obviously necessary, and that we do not want too long-drawn-out an experiment before putting them in?

Mr. Hay

I think we ought just to let the experiment get started before we decide to end it.