A650, BRADFORD-WAKEFIELD (ACCIDENTS) (Hansard, 27 November 1969)

§ Sir Alfred Broughton (Batley and Morley
I wish to thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me this opportunity of raising a matter of considerable importance to many of my constituents and to others who use a road passing through my constituency. The road to which I refer is the main Bradford-Wakefield road, otherwise known as the A650, and the part of it to which I wish to draw particular attention is a stretch of approximately three miles long between the crossroads at Bruntcliffe on the Bradford side and Tingley Mill on the Wakefield side. I do so because of the alarming number of accidents on this section of the road.
For many years this has been a busy road carrying traffic between the cities of Bradford and Wakefield, but, in addition to this local inter-city traffic, the road has also carried vehicles travelling to and from places beyond Wakefield, particularly Doncaster, and from there on to the Great North Road. As the number of motor vehicles has increased, so has the traffic passing along this road. From time to time there have been accidents, some fatal.
Recently the M1 was extended further north to Leeds, and this passes the A650 in my constituency where there is access to the new motorway. With the opening of the M1 there was a sudden great increase in the volume of traffic using the A650, and the number of accidents has reached terrifying figures and includes tragic fatal accidents.
The part of the road to which I draw attention is wide, has a good surface and runs through a built-up area. Frequently the fast-moving overtaking, heavy and numerous vehicles are an alarming sight. Crossing the road on foot can be at best a frightening experience and at worst fatal.
Grave concern has been felt for some time by many of my constituents, particularly mothers of young children. In the summer of this year there were some shocking accidents in which children were 764 killed, and so great was public concern and indignation that in August more than a thousand constituents signed a petition which was handed to me.
I passed on the information to the Minister of Transport, and at the same time I explained as best I could the problems. I should like to thank the Joint Parliamentary Secretary for his sympathetic and prompt reply to my request for further safety measures. I know that he instructed specialists to make a close study of the black accident history of the road and to make recommendations for lessening the danger. I am aware that a study of this nature takes time, and I am hopeful that my hon. Friend will now be in a position to give some idea of the safety measures that he intends to introduce. I am sure he understands the urgency of the matter.
I should like to acquaint my hon. Friend with the opinions of local people. I myself know the road well and use it every week as I travel about my constituency. I have had numerous discussions with constituents, including, I am sad to say, parents of some of the children who have been killed. We think that an important factor contributing to the large number of accidents is the speed at which vehicles travel. There is a 40 miles-an-hour speed limit, and local opinion is that this should be reduced to 30 m.p.h.
Another suggestion is that islands should be placed in the middle of the road at its widest parts to provide refuge for people crossing and to cut down the amount of overtaking. More pedestrian crossings are needed, and it is important that parking be prohibited near pedestrian crossings. Traffic lights have been suggested at some of the crossroads, and notices giving warning to drivers of danger have been mentioned.
At present the nearby Yorkshire-Lancashire motorway is under construction. I had thought that when it was completed traffic would use it to travel to the M1 motorway. But I am informed that the Yorkshire-Lancashire motorway will join the M1 at Lofthouse and that seven miles will be added to the journey for those who do not use the A650. As time is of more importance than distance to most drivers, I suggest that the only way to keep the A650 free from a great amount 765 of M1 traffic will be to ensure that travel along the A650 is slow.
The accident rate on the road about which I speak is appalling. I have coined for it the name "Tragedy Road". This month there have been more accidents, and in one of them a little girl was seriously injured. So great was public indignation when this tragedy occurred that mothers protested by going on the road and stopping the traffic at peak times. So local feeling is one of serious concern. The matter is urgent, and I hope that the Joint Parliamentary Secretary will now announce safety measures that will alleviate the present great anxiety.

The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport (Mr. Bob Brown)
I very much appreciate the concern for road safety that my hon. Friend the Member for Batley and Morley (Sir A. Broughton) has shown. Saving life and limb on the roads is an urgent and inescapable social problem in which we are all involved. Some of the action which can be taken must come from the Government. But there is much which can be and needs to be done by spirited local action. I congratulate my hon. Friend on the attention that he has devoted to this problem of reducing accidents on the A650 in his constituency.
The A650 is a busy route which carries much heavy commercial and industrial traffic between Bradford and Wakefield. It also carries considerable local traffic. Since the opening of the M61 in October, 1968, it has attracted extra traffic between Bradford and the M1. From time to time congestion has been caused by works in connection with the motorways.
The route is either urban or semi-urban. Between Gildersome Crossroads and Tingley Mills it is almost entirely built-up and is particularly liable to congestion because of its topography and the number of busy roads which join it. The whole of the A650 route gives us the traffic and safety problems which are associated with urban trunk roads, but the main difficulties are on the section through Morley. This stretch has two hills whose crests limit the drivers' line of sight, two major crossroads, and two staggered junctions. Because of the complex appearance of the accidents, I had 766 our area road safety unit at Dewsbury make a study in depth of traffic and accidents on this length of road. It reported to the divisional road engineer a fortnight ago.
I think this is the first time this House has debated a road safety unit's work in any detail. So perhaps I should explain that when it undertakes such studies a road safety unit examines the facts of all the accidents which have occurred over several years. In this case it took 1966, 1967 and 1968. In this way it is able to establish a complete picture of the accident pattern on the road; it notes exactly where each accident happened and, whenever the available evidence permits, how and why it happened. With such an analysis of the accidents and from observation of the conditions on the road, the unit is able to identify any features or conditions which have contributed to the accidents and to suggest possible measures to reduce the accidents.
From January, 1966, to December, 1968, there were 77 personal injury accidents on the 2½ miles of A650 between Gildersome Crossroads and Tingley Mills. That gives an accident rate of 3.2 per million vehicles. It is just about average for a trunk road passing through a built-up area.
When I speak of average statistics, I appreciate that they are no consolation to my hon. Friend nor to his constituents who have had loved ones included in the accident statistics in the shape of fatalities or injuries. I deeply sympathise with all concerned, especially the parents of the little girl who lost her life here so recently.
The unit's very detailed findings can be summarised by saying that there is a consistent pattern of overtaking accidents. This is not just cars or vans overtaking lorries. There were also instances of unladen lorries passing laden lorries. This overtaking may probably be associated with the delays caused by the motorway construction work. It creates hazards at certain points; for example, at bends and crests in the road. Radar checks showed the speeds of numbers of vehicles to be excessive, and at some points heavy goods vehicles generally were found to be travelling rather faster than most private cars. Skid tests 767 were taken, but the road surface appeared to need attention at only one site.
The obvious remedy may seem to be, as my hon. Friend has suggested, to reduce the speed limit from 40 to 30 m.p.h. I hate to disappoint him, but this almost certainly would not be the right solution. Experience has shown that, in such cases, a 30 m.p.h. restriction is almost always ignored, and the police are faced with an impossible enforcement task. There is also some indication that unrealistic speed limits increase overtaking and, consequently, the number of accidents.
Instead, the report recommends the general refurbishing of the road markings and much more use of hazard lines in the middle of the road and of double white lines to regulate overtaking. We intend to put in hand immediately a comprehensive scheme of traffic channelling along the whole length of the section. In addition, to assist traffic flow and increase pedestrian safety, waiting restrictions along the whole length will be adjusted to suit conditions, allowing limited waiting as circumstances demand, but with additional restrictions on loading and unloading during peak traffic periods.
The road safety unit found a number of definite accident clusters. The worst were at Gildersome Crossroads, Bruntcliffe Crossroads, the Scotchman Lane/Fountain Street junction of the B6123 with the A650, and the junction of the B6127 Bridge Street and the A602 Rein Road with the A650. No recommendations are made for special measures at the first two junctions. Gildersome Crossroads is currently affected by extensive motorway works which make it necessary to control the traffic according to the state of progress of the works. At Bruntcliffe Crossroads traffic signals have recently been installed and can be expected to improve safety there. The situation reflected in the accidents of the last three years therefore no longer exists. At the staggered junction at Scotchman Lane/Fountain Street there is both an accident and a capacity problem. Vehicles on the A650 are squeezed by the pedestrian refuges Those crossing from one arm of the B6123 to the other are often halted on the A650. The junction with Bridge Street and Rein Road is also a major source of difficulty because of the consistent flow of cross-stream traffic.
768 In deciding what should be done on this section of road, and particularly at these two latter junctions, we must remember that the completion of the M62 in this area towards the end of next year will undoubtedly attract a great deal of the traffic at present using the A650. The whole of this route will be effectively by-passed by the Gildersome-Lofthouse section of the M62. This new road, when used with the section of M1 between Lofthouse and Carr Gate, will provide a much more attractive route between Bradford and Wakefield. I am sure that this will help a great deal.
My hon. Friend has suggested that, as the alternative M62 route via Lofthouse will be somewhat longer than the A650 route, the M62 route will prove attractive only if appropriate restrictions are placed on the A650. The M62 route will, however, enable motorists to complete the journey in a much shorter time, and experience has shown that drivers value savings in time even although they may travel a little further.
The area road safety unit's report indicates that, if things stay as they are, automatic traffic signals might be an appropriate solution at the junction of Scotchman Lane/Fountain Street. At the Bridge Street/Rein Road junction either signals or a scheme for road markings to channel traffic according to destination might help. But here I must make it clear that we doubt if we would be justified in providing automatic traffic signals at present. It would take seven months to have them installed, and they would only be in use for a few months before M62 is open. Once it is open we expect the traffic pattern to change, and it could well turn out that the signals were no longer appropriate. If so, we would have wasted the taxpayer's money.
Money for roads is not unlimited, and there are many other places where expenditure is also urgently required. No doubt every hon. Member has his own candidates. We must, therefore, ensure that proper priorities are strictly observed in the allocation of available funds. If, however, the erection of the signals still proves to be justified after the opening of the M62, the work will then be put in hand.
I should like now to mention briefly the main measures which we propose to 769 put in hand immediately, reading from east to west along the road.
At the Bridge Street/Rein Road junction a system of ghost islands—that is, painted white diagonal stripes—will be marked on the carriageway to provide a place for vehicles to stand whilst waiting to finish a left or right hand turn off the A650. There will be more lighting at the junction and the pedestrian crossing at Bridge Street. An elongated waiting bay will be built alongside the carriageway between Rein Road and Holmfirth Avenue where vehicles can stand after the waiting restrictions have come into effect. The carriageway from this junction to High Street junction will be marked to provide two 12 ft. traffic lanes in each direction and ghost islands will also be provided at the High Street junction. Between High Street and Fountain Street, a centre warning line is to be laid leading to further ghost islands on Fountain Street, that is the B6123. Markings will be provided on the staggered junction with the B6123 to restrict overtaking and assist crossing traffic.
Continuing westwards from Scotchman Lane, double solid white lines will be laid to the far side of the crest of the hill near Lewisham Street to provide two lanes for westbound traffic and one lane for eastbound traffic. This will prevent overtaking where there is limited visibility on this stretch. From here to the existing traffic signals at the junction with Howden Clough Road the carriageway will be marked with lanes to encourage good lane discipline. From this point to the end of the section no serious problem exists.
My hon. Friend will I think agree that these measures are in part what he has proposed—and I think that my hon. Friend deserves credit for the way in which he has pursued this matter on behalf of his constituents—and I assure him that where they differ they will, we believe, more effectively achieve his aims. He suggested the construction of islands in the wide sections of the road to help pedestrians to cross and to cut down overtaking. We consider that the measures proposed as a result of the Road Safety Unit's report will effectively reduce overtaking without reducing the effective width of the carriageway, as would be the case if islands were to be erected.
770 My hon. Friend also asked for more zebra crossings. On this I should point out that the road is primarily a main through route and we have found by experience that if there are too many zebra crossings on such roads the delays and resulting frustration suffered by drivers can lead to increased danger to pedestrians. My hon. Friend will recall that vehicles are already being delayed by the road works and that this appears to be one of the main causes of the prevailing accident pattern. So we do not think, as things stand, that the number of existing pedestrian crossings should be increased. But because the traffic pattern is expected to change soon we shall be keeping a close eye on this stretch of road.
I am glad to have been able to accept my hon. Friend's proposal for waiting restrictions to provide a clear view of existing crossings There are statutory procedures to go through, so changes cannot come into effect immediately. But we will get on with the necessary work with all possible speed.
When the Road Safety Units have reported on schemes like this and the suggested remedies have been implemented, they then keep an eye on things. We expect periodic before and after studies. Units have already achieved important reductions in accidents and casualties and I hope that this scheme will be chalked up among the successes. The Road Safety Unit will keep an eye on this stretch of road after we have implemented the measures that I have outlined tonight, and if further measures are needed we shall not hestitate to take them.

§ Sir Ronald Russell (Wembley, South)
I do not know the road in question, but the Minister said that it would not be good policy to reduce the speed limit from 40 to 30 because the lower limit would not be kept. I agree about that, but it is my experience that if there is a speed limit most of the traffic goes at about 10 miles an hour faster than the limit, so it probably goes at 50. If the speed limit were reduced to 30 the speed of traffic might be cut down to 40, and thus make for greater safety. I wonder whether the hon. Gentleman would look at that, not only from the point of view of this case, but for speed limits in general. I think that that might help.

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The hon. Gentleman has exhausted his right to speak. He may speak again only by leave of the House.

Mr. Brown
By leave of the House, Mr. Speaker. To reduce the speed limit from 40 to 30 miles an hour would make the limit completely unrealistic. Our 772 experience is that motorists will have no regard for unrealistic speed limits. This is why the previous Minister issued the Green Paper on speed limits for discussion, and towards the end of the year we shall be looking again at speed limits.