Motorways and Expressways (Hansard, 27 February 1984)

§ 4. Sir Anthony Meyer
asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce proposals for enhancing the tourist attraction of British motorways and expressways.

§ Mrs. Chalker
Although motorways are intended primarily to facilitate safe and rapid journeys, great care is taken, by landscaping and planting, to make them and their service areas attractive to the user as well as to fit them into the countryside through which they pass.

§ Sir Anthony Meyer
My hon. Friend could have fooled me. Is she aware that many stretches of our motorways and expressways are tourist attractions in themselves all the year round? Is she further aware that there are woefully few facilities for motorists to stop and stare, and nowhere where they can have a picnic or a decent meal? Will she study foreign experience to see how we could get better tourist value from our motorways?

§ Mrs. Chalker
I have a great deal of sympathy with my hon. Friend's comments about developments abroad and about opening up to the touring public the country and the beautiful areas that are reached by motorways. We are considering picnic areas. I shall consider most carefully any proposal that is put to me.

§ Mr. Campbell-Savours
Would not the tourist attraction of motorways be increased if coach speeds were reduced? How was it possible that on 8 February, in the Department's notice on maximum speeds for vehicles, the Government failed to reduce the maximum speed limit for coaches on motorways? They have left the limit at 70 mph under the law, when in practice coaches can speed at 78 mph before they are prosecuted. Will the Government intervene to do something about that before there is a major accident on our motorways?

§ Mrs. Chalker
The hon. Gentleman knows that I have been having discussions with my hon. Friends at the Home Office about the enforcement of motorway speed limits. The Bus and Coach Council has undertaken to produce a code of practice this year.

§ Mr. Campbell-Savours
It will not work.

§ Mrs. Chalker
I have left the council in no doubt that if it does not work powers will be taken through the House to enforce the law, as it should be enforced.

§ Mr. John Wells
Will my hon. Friend look closely at the signing of tourist attractions on motorways? I shall give a single example to which my hon. Friend might refer. Leeds castle, one of the greatest tourist attractions in the nation, is in my constituency, and is within 100 yd of a motorway. Under present legislation, however, no sign is allowed. Can the legislation be reviewed?

§ Mrs. Chalker
I assure my hon. Friend that I am examining the whole question of signing places of historic interest. There is already an experiment on trunk roads. If that is successful, we shall seek to extend it. Nevertheless, I have to bear in mind the danger that too many signs on motorways may distract the attention of motorists from the road, on which their eyes should be fixed.

§ Mr. Ryman
Will the Minister examine the question of concessions for motorway cafés? Is she aware that the food served in such cafes is expensive, unhygienic, inedible and thoroughly unattractive? Will she do 5 something about the licensing of caterers who are making huge profits from administering cafes which provide no service to the public?

§ Mrs. Chalker
I do not know when the hon. Gentleman last visited a motorway service area or, indeed, whether his remarks about "cafes" referred to such areas. Since leases were sold to operators there has been a great improvement in the majority of service areas. Some, however, still need to be improved and we are taking that up. If the hon. Gentleman has complaints about individual service stations, he should take them up direct with the motorway service area.