§ 2.42 p.m.
§ EARL HOWEMy Lords, I beg to ask His Majesty's Government the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask His Majesty's Government what are the reasons which necessitate the continuance of the 30 m.p.h. speed limit on the Mitcham-Croydon road across Mitcham Common, and also on the road from Queensferry to Edinburgh.]
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, Mitcham Common is a recreation ground for densely populated areas nearby, and the number of accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists on the Mitcham-Croydon road is comparatively high. Queensferry road is substantially built up and there are many residential side roads. Since the speed limit has been in force on this road, the accident rate has been greatly decreased.
§ EARL HOWEMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether he recollects that we had a debate in this House upon this question some time ago, and the Minister undertook to see whether any of these roads could be derestricted? I wonder whether the noble Lord is also aware that the road across Mitcham Common to which he has referred cannot be approached by anybody within half a mile without his being seen. It is true that there are lamps on it, and therefore it is in a restricted area. With reference to the Queensferry Road, may I ask whether the noble Lord is also aware that there is a fine example of ribbon development on one side of the road and an unclimbable wall on the other? Does he think it is absolutely necessary to have this restriction?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, in reply to the first part of the supplementary question, I am sorry to say that it is not within my recollection that the Minister agreed to find the information requested, but now that the noble Earl has made a request to myself, I will endeavour to ascertain what apparently he has in mind. The two roads are, of course, very wide roads, but the traffic on them is very heavy indeed. As the noble Earl has suggested they are lit with street lamps. In one case, the road was at one time derestricted.
§ LORD SHEPHERDThe Queensferry road. Then restrictions were placed on the road once more at the request of the Edinburgh Town Council, a very sober body of men and women. In the case of the road at Mitcham, the police themselves are strongly opposed to decontrolling this road, and the opinion of the police weighs rather heavily with me because, as an ordinary motorist, I look upon the police as one of my protecting forces against reckless driving.
§ EARL HOWEMy Lords, may I ask whether, in the case of the Queensferry road, the re-imposition of the 30 miles per hour speed limit was before or after the ribbon development to which I have referred? With regard to the Mitcham-Croydon road, is the noble Lord aware that that is one of the great stalking grounds of the police to secure convictions? No wonder tie police are in favour of maintaining that restriction!
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I am not aware of either point in the second supplementary question put by the noble Earl but, as I mentioned in my second reply, now that the questions have been put to me, I will give an undertaking to secure the information which the noble Earl requires.
§ EARL DE LA WARRMy Lords, I wonder if the noble Lord has ever been on the Mitcham-Croydon road, because he refers to the side roads there. I use that road repeatedly, and I am not aware of more than two side roads on a considerable length of road.
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I beg to inform the noble Earl that this road is quite well known to me. Indeed, I turned up a letter only this week which reminded me of the fact that I have great experience of it. As long ago as 1923, I was the agent in a by-election in the Mitcham Division when the Labour candidate won the constituency for the first time, so I know the road fairly well. The side roads to which I made a reference were in respect of the Queensferry road.