HC Deb 08 May 1963 vol 677 cc414-5
30. Sir S. Langford-Holt

asked the Minister of Transport what steps will be taken, in cases where, under the Beeching proposals, railway passengers will transfer to bus services, to see that for this transfer bus termini are sited near to railway termini.

Mr. Hay

We would expect the transport users consultative committee to take account of the location of bus stopping places when considering alternative bus services. Before deciding on the terms of our consent to a passenger closure proposal, we shall have regard to any views it may express on the point, and we will see that these are brought to the attention of the Traffic Commissioners, who are responsible for licensing bus services, in appropriate cases.

Sir J. Langford-Holt

Will my hon. Friend bear in mind that if, quite logically, he is trying to make the bus services an extension of the railway services, this purpose will not be served if, as in my constituency, the distance between railway terminus and bus terminus is anything up to one mile?

Mr. Hay

I tried to make clear in my Answer that the whale matter is for my right hon. Friend to consider in the light of advice which the transport users consultative committee will give. Obviously, one of the factors which the committee will have in mind in a case like this is the existence of a stopping place reasonably convenient and adjacent to the railway station.

Mr. Snow

Should not the Ministry have already started negotiations or discussions with the motor vehicle industry in order to secure designs which will permit the carriage of passengers' luggage which can be put out fairly conveniently at stations?

Mr. Hay

That is a bit wide of a question about bus stopping places.

Mr. J. Wells

Will my hon. Friend address his mind, not necessarily now but as soon as he can, to the actual words of the Question which deal with termini rather than stopping places? His answer implied that he was thinking about intermediate stopping places, but many hon. Members are most concerned about bus termini being remote from railway termini.

Mr. Hay

I looked at the wording of the Question, but I thought that my hon. Friend the Member for Shrewsbury (Sir J. Langford-Holt) was concerned about places where people could get on or off a bus near a station, whether they be termini or just stopping places.

Mr. Snow

With their luggage.

Sir J. Langford-Holt

Will my hon. Friend accept that "reasonably adjacent"—I think that those were his words—is not good enough? If people are to get off a railway train and then use buses as an extension of the railway, the bus terminus must be immediately adjacent, not reasonably adjacent.

Mr. Hay

All these are, obviously, matters for the transport users consultative committees to consider in relation to the particular proposals before them and on which they will give advice to my right hon. Friend.