§ 1. Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Minister of Transport what action she is taking to reduce the time now spent on road repair work and road building in order to reduce inconvenience to the public generally.
§ The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport (Mr. Neil Carmichael)The time allowed for the construction of road works takes account of all factors, including general inconvenience. Reducing the completion time often means additional cost, but, subject to that, we aim to complete all road works as quickly as possible.
§ Mrs. ShortIs my hon. Friend aware that, if British Railways took so long to repair their track and rebuild their bridges as many road engineers, there would be a revolution? Does he not think it time that his Department looked at the length of time taken on road works leading out of London, for example, and the discomfort caused to pedestrians and road users and the burden on the economy caused by the length of time taken?
§ Mr. CarmichaelI recognise that the construction of road works is a burden on the economy, but it is a temporary burden. The object of new roads is that great savings to the economy ultimately ensue. Every effort is made, but there are great difficulties, particularly in urban areas, and inconvenience for a short time is unavoidable.