HC Deb 19 May 1986 vol 98 cc9-10
7. Mr. Dubs

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will investigate the effectiveness of bus lanes in London on roads for which he is responsible.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

Yes, Sir.

Mr. Dubs

Does the Minister agree that buses in London benefit a great deal from having clear bus lanes? May I ask him, yet again, to look at the bus lane in Park lane? If the Minister were to go down there on a Monday to Friday at any time when the bus lane is in operation, he would find it filled with vehicles that use it as a parking lane.

Mr. Bottomley

I have to report to the House that I have been down Park lane on a bus. I took a sandwich with me, and it was unfinished when I reached the other end. Unlike frogs, which eat with their eyes closed, I had mine open. Neither the bus nor the other traffic was held up.

Mr. Higgins

Will my hon. Friend take overall responsibility for all roads with bus lanes and other unnecessary obstructions — for example, those at the Aldwych and on Westminster bridge? Why do we have what looks like a new parking lot for buses on Westminster bridge, because of the curious obstruction at its far end?

Mr. Bottomley

As the suggestion comes from my right hon. Friend, I must take it seriously. Like the first inhabitants of Burkina Faso, the land of the wise men, otherwise known as Upper Volta, I might wonder whether it is right to take all those powers into my Department's hands. I have to report that I have been across Westminster bridge and down Aldwych and the Strand and I was not held up by the traffic.

Mr. Tony Banks

Is the Minister aware that London Regional Transport estimates that bus lanes in London saved £9.9 million last year? Is that not a good reason for extending the bus lane network across London, because it would speed the flow of traffic through London? Is he further aware that a recent reply from the Secretary of State for the Environment revealed that the Department issued 429 parking tickets last year to civil servants who ignored bus lanes and double yellow lines? Will he encourage civil servants to park properly, so that buses and other traffic can be speeded up?

Mr. Bottomley

We can do many things with statistics. We can say that Anne Boleyn had six fingers or that 18 per cent. of people share their baths. However, it is more important to consider each bus lane to see whether it is worth while.