§ 11. Mr. Madelasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether, following representations made to him by the hon. Member for Bedfordshire, South, he will now authorise a lowering of the maximum speed limit in the villages of Stanbridge and Tilsworth, Bedfordshire; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HoramAs I have explained in my recent letter to the hon. Member, speed limits in these villages are a matter for Bedfordshire county council in the first instance.
§ Mr. MadelIn view of the heavy traffic going through these two villages, and the number of accidents which have occurred, will the Minister now invite Bedfordshire county council to submit proposals to his Department for a lowering of the speed limit until the promised new roads for the area are completed?
§ Mr. HoramIt is up to the county council to take the initiative in this case, and there is no way in which I can invite it to do that. It must make up its mind whether it wants to put forward a proposal. However, I should point out that there is already a 30 m.p.h. speed limit on these roads. I think that the council wants to reduce it to 20 m.p.h., which is granted only in very exceptional cases.