§ 13. Mr. Peter Walkerasked the Minister of Transport whether he will now sanction the commencement of the preparation of detailed plans for the Ombersley by-pass on the A.449 road.
§ Mr. Tom FraserNo, Sir. To do so would mean diverting resources from other more urgent road schemes.
§ Mr. WalkerIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that after the completion of the northern link in February there will be a considerable increase in traffic on the A.449 and there will be several miles of dual carriageway on either side of this village which has a very narrow street through it? Is he aware that this will make it one of the most dangerous villages in the Midlands? Will he examine it again?
§ Mr. FraserThe hon. Member will recognise my difficulty. The trunk road programme was published in June this year by my predecessor and this scheme was not included. Our economic and financial resources are very heavily committed and if I were now to bring forward this scheme it would have to be at the expense of some other scheme. I do not want to hold out any hope that I will be able to do that.