HC Deb 16 July 1975 vol 895 cc1669-80

11.15 p.m.

Mr. Peter Walker (Worcester)

I am grateful to the Under-Secretary of State for coming at this late hour to discuss a topic which is of immense interest to a number of my constituents. I must declare an interest. The village of Fernhill Heath is next to the place where I have my home and farm in my constituency and is obviously used a great deal by my family.

The subject of speed limits in different areas is frequently raised with the Department of the Environment. As a former Secretary of State for the Environment, I am aware of the enormous pressures which are put on the Department to change speed limits, to erect pedestrian crossings, and so on, which the public feel are justified. As Secretary of State I had to reject many of these demands because, on the knowledge available in the Department, it was not genuinely in the interests of the public at large to change certain speed limits, to erect pedestrian crossings, and such matters. Therefore, I hope that the Under-Secretary appreciates that I would not raise this matter if I did not feel that it was justified and of real importance for the Department to consider carefully.

Fernhill Heath is one and a half miles from the city of Worcester, but, due to the building, development and sprawl of Worcester, could almost be counted now as a suburb of that city.

The stretch of road about which I am concerned lies between Worcester and Ferhill Heath. On leaving the 30 mph limit at the boundary of the city of Worcester one immediately gets into a 70 mph limit under normal conditions—of course, that does not apply at the moment under present regulations—for a distance of 1.3 miles until reaching almost the middle of Fernhill Heath where the limit becomes 40 mph through the rest of the village.

The result is that motorists, having got up speed between the boundary of Worcester and Fernhill Heath, enter and indeed go through half of the village at 70 mph, frequently not lowering their speed through the rest of the village. They then enter another 70 mph limit until they reach the town of Droitwich. In the area between Fernhill Heath and Droitwich it is reasonable to have a speed limit of 70 mph, but not in the area between Worcester and Fernhill Heath.

I should like to describe the 1.3 miles between the 30 mph limit at Worcester and the 40 mph limit in the middle of Fernhill Heath. About 20 yards inside the 30 mph limit in Worcester there is the entrance to one of the city's biggest factories—Metal Castings. Coming out of the city and going towards Fernhill Heath, on the left hand side of the road is a nursery to which large numbers of people go in cars to purchase plants and gardening machinery. It is a lively garden centre.

There are then some houses and a popular public house called "The Raven". There are then more houses. One then comes to Claines Lane, leading to a suburb of Worcester called Claines, an important church and a busy public house. There are then two institutions of the county council, one belonging to the Education Department and the other to the Stationery Department, both resulting in a great deal of traffic. There is then Morton Avenue and Dilmore Lane which lead to 300 to 400 new houses and flats and the villages of Porters Mill and Ladywood. On that stretch of road, in addition to the features I have described, there are 120 houses. That is one side of the road.

On the other side, which is the least built-up side, there is, first of all, the sports ground of one of Worcester's biggest factories, and a great deal of traffic results from that. There are then allotments, then a garage, and then the road leading out to the headquarters of the county constabulary, after which there are houses. Between Worcester and the Fernhill Heath boundary, taking both sides of the road, there are virtually only two fields which could be described as general open space, so I would argue that, on the make-up of the area, there is every justification for there being a continuation of the speed limit between Worcester and Fernhill Heath itself.

I will give the accident rate for a period of 44 months between the boundary of Worcester and the far boundary of Fernhill Heath, according to the figures I have obtained from the county constabulary. In that stretch of road there have been 65 people injured, 19 of them seriously, and three people killed. The Under-Secretary of State will understand the very considerable emotions aroused in the village when last year, alas, an eight-year-old boy was killed in the village endeavouring to save his younger brother from being killed by a motor vehicle. Obviously an event such as that is heart breaking to the people of the village concerned.

The village itself and the parih council have constantly urged on the county council and the Department of the Environment that there should be a 30 mph speed limit, and that it should stretch from the Worcester boundary through to the village. As a former Minister in the Department of the Environment, I know that the arguments for having a 30 mph speed limit, as opposed to 40 mph, are pretty small and limited, and that they are not very often justified. While I understand the wish of the constituents to have a 30 mph speed limit, I know from all the facts and figures given in my time that it would be of no great advantage to them compared with a 40 mph speed limit. But the need for a 40 mph speed limit is very considerable.

In the village there are one or two other important features. First, there is a group of flats for old people, which is on the main road itself. Second, a number of the most important facilities of the village are on the far side of the road from the main bulk of the population. This is true of the British Legion, which is very active in that village. It is true of the parish hall, it is true of the school, to which most of the younger children go, and it is true of two of the public houses in the village. Therefore, there is a very considerable crossing of the road by children and by elderly people and, of course, by the rest of the village as a whole. These are features which make this a very important aspect.

When I took this matter up last year with the Department of the Environment, I endeavoured to organise a meeting, which for various reasons did not fully take place. But after that, the then Minister of Transport, now the Secretary of State for Education, wrote to me on 22nd January 1975. He said: We have now had some more up-to-date accident records for this section of A38 trunk road and, while there is no doubt that they do not support the imposition of a 30 mph speed restriction, as suggested by the Fernhill Heath Action Group, they do suggest that there may be a case for an extension of the present 40 mph restriction through Fernhill Heath for about 800 yards southwards towards Worcester. It will be necessary to consider this in much greater detail and, if an extension seems to be justified, to consult formally interested organisations, publish the proposal etc. My constituents and the people of Fernhill Heath, while obviously wanting much more than that, were relieved that a very important stretch of road of half a mile, which in their view is very densely populated and active, and forms half the village, should be covered by an extension of the restriction of the sort suggested. They were pleased at this news and presumed that the inquiries would result in a satisfactory proposal.

They were very surprised by what they next heard, indirectly through me, and once again from the then Minister of Transport. I read again from his letter, dated 5th June 1975: The results show that this site does not meet our standard criteria for either vehicle speeds or the gravity of the accident records. In his previous letter, he said specifically that the accident records had made him decide to inquire into this, and, therefore, it seems surprising that he quotes the accident records as a reason for not now doing it.

He went on: In addition neither the County Highways Committee nor the Chief Constable is prepared to give any backing for an extended restriction. That surprised the people of Fernhill Heath, because they presumed that the county council, which obviously is democratically elected by people locally, would have supported their submission. Therefore, it is not surprising that they and I had some pretty nasty things to say about the county council's not supporting this submission.

Only today I received a letter from the chairman of the Highways Committee of the county council which is very significant and important. He writes: The reason the Committee did not give it such support was purely their adherence to the criteria laid down by the Department. I am sure that the Under-Secretary will agree that it is absurd if the Department, as we know, has criteria for measuring these things, and it then consults a county council only for it just to confirm that those are the criteria, which the Ministry knows in any case. I had assumed that the Department would consult the county council and that the county council would say, "In the circumstances, because there are problems here, despite the criteria we think the speed limit should be extended." But apparently, in this case, the Highways Committee took the view that its sole task was not to give an opinion but to say whether it adhered to the criteria laid down by the Department. I presume from the letter written by the chairman of the Highways Committee that if the matter had been considered on the basis of the committee's opinion about whether it was in favour or against the proposal, its decision and advice might have been somewhat different. But it considered that its job was simply to say whether it was within the Department's criteria.

The parish council, which is very active in the area, wrote to me saying: We have been asking the Worcestershire County Council over a number of years for this extension but on each occasion we have been told that the criteria for the imposition of such a limit is not met. The Parish Council wonder just how many more people have to be killed or injured on the road, particularly on Rose Bank which is a notorious black spot, before the criteria is met. We feel the 40 mph speed limit ought at least to be extended to the Claines Lane junction but ideally we would like to see it taken to the Worcester City boundary. It is also felt that where there are three lanes of traffic these should be reduced to two lanes. I assure the Under-Secretary that the village is totally united. It is a fast-expanding village. There is a great deal of new building going on at the moment, and the people feel genuinely, as I do as a former Minister in the Department, that it is absurd to have this speed limit stuck half-way through the village when many of the worst accidents have been on that portion of the road to which the limit does not apply.

I recognise that the Department has gone through the normal procedures, and I assure the hon. Gentleman that local people, people in the city of Worcester, and certainly the local county councillor—so far as I know, none of the other county councillors has been to inspect the area to see what is going on—and everyone else who know what is going on feels there is a need, if not for a 30 m.p.h. limit, if not for imposing a speed limit between Worcester and Fernhill Heath in its entirity, at least for going ahead with the suggestion for an 800 yard extension that was looked at by the former Minister of Transport.

I hope, therefore, that the hon. Gentleman will be able to give careful consideration to this possibility.

11.29 p.m.

The Under-Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. Ernest Armstrong)

I am grateful to the right hon. Member for Worcester (Mr. Walker) for the very fair way in which he has raised what must be indeed a matter that causes very high feeling among his constituents in the village to which he has referred. When there has been an accident, particularly to a young child, I know how people feel, and the letter that the right hon. Gentleman read from the parish council reminded me of a similar incident in my constituency. I know just how strongly folk feel that here in Whitehall we do not give the human consideration that should be given.

The right hon. Gentleman reminded the House, however, that he was a former Secretary of State in my Department, and he knows that we do recognise the human considerations. I want to deal with the case, if I can, as reasonably as the right hon. Gentleman has done in putting his constituents' views before the House tonight.

With the enormous volume of traffic on the roads today, we are all conscious of the need for road safety, especially in relation to our own circumstances in our own neighbourhood. Where a high street forms part of a main trunk road and the traffic using that road appears to be rushing through because the speed limits seem unreasonably high, not only do residents wish to see traffic in the village slow down. They want to see it reduce speed before it reaches the village at all. Very understandably, they want something done about it. That, of course, is the reason for this debate.

The standards which are applied in setting speed limits is a subject which attracts a good deal of local attention. It also gives rise to a great deal of misunderstanding. Many years' experience has shown that, to be effective, speed limits must be set at levels which most drivers regard as reasonable. Unrealistically low speed limits are, unfortunately, very often ignored. This gives the police an impossible problem of enforcement, brings the law into disrepute and debases the value of speed limits in general.

I am grateful, therefore, to the right hon. Gentleman for giving me the opportunity first of all to clarify some of the misunderstandings about the standards currently being applied which determine speed limits. I also hope that this will go some way towards satisfying the villagers of Fernhill Heath that both the Department itself and the Hereford and Worcestershire County Council, as agents for the Department, have given full consideration to their various representations for reducing the speed limits in the village of Fernhill Heath from 40 m.p.h. to 30 m.p.h., and for imposing a 40 m.p.h. speed limit on that part of the A.38 trunk road which extends from the village to the Worcester city boundary, on which the national speed limit of 50 m.p.h. for this type of road presently applies.

The purpose of speed limits is, of course, to reduce the speed of vehicles to a level at which drivers can more readily meet the dangers to be expected on a road. The principal effect of speed limits, correctly applied, is to reduce the percentage of vehicles going more than, say, 5 or 10 mph above the limit fixed. Their effect upon accidents usually includes a reduction in both number and severity.

In order to achieve a realistic and consistent pattern of speed limits throughout the country, the Department has formulated criteria for the various levels of limit. I understand the reactions of the county council which the right hon. Gentleman has very properly brought to my notice. I think he would agree that the Department, in consultation with police and other groups, has to form general criteria before we make judgments on individual cases throughout the country.

The speeds chosen by drivers on a particular road are, of course, a relevant factor in determining the speed limit for that road, but speed levels are not the only consideration. Accidents on the road, its environment and character and the nature of the traffic upon it are closely interrelated factors. The existing speed limits on adjoining sections of road are additional matters which need to be taken into account.

The effectiveness of speed limits in controlling vehicle speeds depends principally upon the readiness of drivers to obey them and upon police supervision. The police have not the resources to enforce speed limits that are disregarded by the bulk of the traffic. It is therefore of primary importance that each speed limit should be accepted by drivers as a reasonable restriction which is justified by conditions on the road. The speed below which 85 per cent. of car drivers travel in free-flowing conditions is usually a good guide to the appropriate speed limit for that road.

Most drivers try to adjust their speed to the conditions in which they are driving, but the hazards on a road are not always apparent. Great care is always taken, therefore, when deciding speed limits to take full account of the various forms of development on the roads, particularly housing estates, schools, factories, recreation grounds and other sources of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, since this will determine to a great extent the conditions which drivers will meet.

Another standard which is applied is a study of the number and type of accidents along a particular stretch of road. The severity, possible causes and frequency may indicate whether an existing speed limit suits present conditions or whether it needs to be changed. It may be that the answer lies elsewhere, possibly by the restriction of on-street parking, the removal of some particular hazard, or a variety of other remedies. A remedy tailor-made for the particular situation is usually better than the blunt instrument of a speed limit.

The standards to which I have referred were decided after extensive consultation with a large number of organisations concerned with road safety. Not only are they being applied on the Department's trunk road network throughout the country but they also form a basis for speed limits imposed on roads for which the local highway authorities are responsible.

In order to provide consistency in determining the appropriate speed limits the Department has issued detailed instructions as to how these important standards should be applied. As the right hon. Gentleman will know, before a new speed limit can be imposed or an existing one changed, the police have to be consulted, the proposal has to be published and the public given an opportunity to object.

I turn to the local problem raised by the right hon Gentleman. He will probably recall that while he was Secretary of State for the Environment local highway authorities were urged to review their existing speed limits in the light of the Department's standards.

As part of this review, the then Worcestershire County Council, as agents for the Department, re-examined in 1971 the various speed limits existing on that part of the A38 trunk road between Bromsgrove and the city of Worcester. This included that stretch of the road on either side and through the village of Fernhill Heath, which is the subject of the matter raised in the Adjournment debate today.

As a result of that review, the county council, the police and the Department were satisfied that the speed limits then in force, both in the village and beyond towards the Worcester city boundary, were appropriate to the road conditions then in existence. I take on board the representations he made about criteria, and I shall give them consideration.

Although the review did not justify a reduction of the existing speed limits, it did provide an opportunity to study a number of representations put forward by the residents of Fernhill Heath including one by the Hindlip Parent-Teachers Association for a pedestrian crossing which could be controlled by the existing school crossing patrol warden.

It also provided an opportunity to investigate the fairly high incidence of accidents, most of which appear to be caused by right turning traffic at the junction with Gilmore Lane, and by pedestrians crossing the trunk road from behind parked vehicles. It was found that the number of pedestrians who would possibly take advantage of a pedestrian crossing was insufficient to justify one. Instead arrangements were made to install a flashing amber unit on the south-bound approach to the school crossing to warn oncoming drivers.

In 1974 following a relaxation of the standards for pedestrian crossings, a further count of pedestrians was made, but once again the numbers were too few. There was still no change in the latest count in April of this year.

I am glad to say that there are further measures now being taken.

The Department and the County Council are at present in the process of introducing waiting restrictions on one side of the main road through the village so as to reduce the danger of pedestrians crossing from behind parked vehicles. The proposal is however at the consultation stage and may take some little time yet. Most of the accidents to which the right hon. Gentleman has referred are found to be caused by right turning traffic at the junctions of Hindlip Lane, Claines Lane and Gilmore Lane, with a majority occurring at Gilmore Lane. It is proposed to provide right-hand lanes at all three junctions together with bus laybys at Hindlip Lane and Claines Lane. Gilmore Lane is to be widened: a proposal for a compulsory purchase order for the land required for this widening passed through the statutory period on the 14th July without objection, and no additional land is required for the other two junctions. It is hoped the improvement of all three junctions will be able to stall fairly quickly.

I know that the right hon. Gentleman has been very concerned for the residents of Fernhill Heath in their endeavour to reduce the speed limits in the village and beyond towards the city of Worcester and that he has taken a great deal of trouble on their behalf to arrange closer consulta- tion between them and the representatives of the Department and the county council in an attempt to further those endeavours. I assure him that my Department has already done and will continue to do all that is possible to ensure that, by regular review, the most effective speed restrictions are applied to the village of Fernhill Heath.

The Department is, of course, always ready to consider any proposals for improving road safety, but I am afraid that speed limits are simply not a universal panacea, and it is important to preserve their value by applying them with discretion. Nevertheless, I assure the right hon. Gentleman that I shall consider very carefully what he has said tonight.

Question put and agreed to

Adjourned accordingly at twenty minutes to Twelve o'clock.