§ 19. Mr. Hall-Davisasked the Minister of Transport whether it is the intention of his Department to approve only those local authority road schemes submitted to them which provide for 24-foot carriageways and not those which provide for 30-foot carriageways.
Mr. Bob BrownWhat we approve is a road designed to accommodate the traffic which is predicted. In a case where the predicted traffic is likely to rise later to a level requiring dual 24 ft. carriageways we would approve a single 24 ft. carriageway in the first instance and accept a measure of overload until it is possible to provide a duplicate alongside. None of the Ministry publications on road design and layout quote a 30 ft. carriageway and in schemes where financial assistance is sought we would require good reason to support the adoption of that width before approving it.
§ Mr. Hall-DavisWill the hon. Gentleman take steps to see that the policy is made absolutely clear to local authorities? Is he aware that there have been cases recently where, at an advanced stage, it has been necessary to carry out considerable redesigning work because of a misunderstanding of what was likely to receive Ministerial approval?
Mr. BrownI am not aware of any such cases. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman would be good enough to write to me.