§ 8. Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has now received the report from Travers Morgan into the proposed Leicester eastern bypass.
§ Mr. Kenneth CarlisleNo. Preliminary investigations are continuing.
§ Mr. VazI have no doubt that the Minister is aware of the enormous hostility by the residents of the eastern part of the city of Leicester to the establishment of the eastern district distributor road, the EDDR, by the county council. Will he confirm that his Department has forwarded to Travers Morgan the new proposals that have been put forward by community groups—the Henwood proposals—which would seek to amalgamate the EDDR with the eastern bypass? Will he also give a commitment to the House that the Government will establish an eastern bypass before the end of the century?
§ Mr. CarlisleI recognise that the eastern bypass for Leicester is important for the entire community. However, one must also recognise that the eastern district distributor road is basically local. Studies have shown that it would carry 90 per cent. of local traffic and therefore 10 per cent. only of trunk road traffic. The whole point of the eastern bypass is to form a strategic trunk road to carry traffic from the A6 to the A46.