HC Deb 24 January 1973 vol 849 cc456-7
22. Mr. Allason

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he will take to deal with the problem of heavy lorries in Tring High Street, A41.

Mr. Peyton

Construction of the Watford-Tring bypass will ease the problem; meanwhile, other measures suggested by Tring Urban District Council are being considered.

Mr. Allason

The announcement of the Tring bypass is most welcome, but will my right hon. Friend recognise that Tring cannot last out until it is built? There is only a 17-ft. carriageway and very narrow pavements, and lorries passing in both directions are an intense danger both to the fabric of the town and to pedestrians. Will my right hon. Friend therefore consider looking at the present one-way system, which is in operation only while new kerbs are being laid but which is successful in producing one-way traffic through the town?

Mr. Peyton

I shall gladly look at any suggestion put by my hon. Friend or by the local authority. I acknowledge that in these narrow streets there is a real problem.

30. Mr. Goodhart

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to deal with the problem of heavy lorries in greater London.

Mr. Peyton

This is a matter for the Greater London Council. I understand that the council is developing a range of measures for dealing with the problem.

Mr. Goodhart

How soon does my right hon. Friend expect to see in operation a comprehensive scheme for controlling the movement of heavy lorries throughout the major part of the greater London area?

Mr. Peyton

I have to remind my hon. Friend with regret though with some relief that I am not the traffic authority for greater London.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

Will the Minister suggest to the Prime Minister that he should come into the London borough of Newham and "blow his top" there, because the GLC might then do something about the problem as it now intends to act in the central area? Why is it that Westminster and the other salubrious neighbourhoods can be cleared of lorries but that in the working-class industrial areas no one seems to take any notice?

Mr. Peyton

Again with great regret I must remind the hon. Member that I am not the traffic authority for greater London. I have no doubt that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has hearing good enough to hear what the hon. Member has just suggested.