23. Mr. Farasked the Minister of Transport if he will arrange to make a substantial saving by arranging for the extinguishing of all unnecessary street and 424 motorway lighting between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeLighting is installed and operated on motorways and trunk roads only where and when the estimated cost of accidents that it saves exceeds the cost of the basic energy required for the lighting.
Lighting on local authorities' roads is a matter for them, not for this Department.
§ Mr. FarrI appreciate my hon. Friend's answer, but will he consider whether the lights, for instance, on motorways that blaze away all night, regardless of the weather, could be extinguished, as that would be a tremendous saving in fuel costs?
§ Mr. ClarkeThe lights on motorways make a substantial difference to accident levels, which is an end in itself, but that in turn leads to substantial savings in cost. To the best of our ability to estimate, the comparatively small cost to the community of lighting is less than the accident costs that would otherwise be incurred.
§ Mr. RookerThe Minister accepts that motorway lighting reduces accidents, so does he intend to continue the lighting programme on the motorway between London and Birmingham all the way along?
§ Mr. ClarkeThere is no present intention to continue it all the way along. Throughout most of the route there is fairly full provision at hazardous and urban areas. Where inquiries indicate that accident figures can be substantially improved by more lighting, we remain ready to extend lighting arrangements.
§ Mr. Albert RobertsDoes the Minister agree that life is pretty miserable as it is without returning us to the dark ages?
§ Mr. ClarkeI trust that we have more to enliven us than merely motorway lighting, although that lighting serves a useful purpose.