§ 2.35 p.m.
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government the result of the deliberations between the Ministry of Transport, the Police and the Westminster City Council upon the subject of the safety of pedestrians crossing Piccadilly by the provision of traffic lights which were forecast by the Government in reply to a Question answered on June 17 last; and, as the suggestion made in the Question was accepted in principle by the Ministry of Transport, whether the Government can say when the pedestrians, harassed now by the speed of the one-way traffic, will receive relief by the erection of the suggested traffic signs.]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT (LORD CHESHAM)My Lords, the Highways Committee of Westminster City Council has recommended to the Council that, among other modifications to the one-way scheme, signal-controlled pedestrian crossings should be provided over Piccadilly, near Sackville Street and near Air Street. The Council will consider this recommendation at their meeting on August 1. If they agree to it, I am sure the Council will proceed as fast as they can with installing these signals, and making the necessary modifications to the signal installation at Piccadilly Circus. My right honourable friend understands that this work is not at 1028 present expected to be complete before next summer, but he is having urgent consultations with the Council and the suppliers to see what acceleration is possible.
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his reply, which, I must confess, staggers me. This experiment of a one-way street in Piccadilly was started in early spring and had not been going for 24 hours, as the noble Lord is well aware, before it was quite apparent that pedestrians would have to have some safeguard in crossing Piccadilly. We are now told that we cannot expect to have these crossing lights in Piccadilly until the summer of next year. Surely the Ministry of Transport can do something. The Ministry has approved, the noble Lord has told us, and the Council are prepared to give their blessing to this on August 1. May I ask the noble Lord this: Can anything humanly be done to provide two sets of traffic lights before twelve months ahead?
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, the noble Lord has slightly over-simplified the question. I think that I should tell him that this involves not just the provision of these individual lights. They have to be linked in timing with the lights at Piccadilly Circus and the other way down Piccadilly, and this includes among other things, the installation of 28 control sets. But I agree with the noble Lord that there is a delay in these matters. I understand that to a certain extent it is due to delay in the provision of equipment, which is why I concluded my original reply by saying that we had had a number of meetings and were keeping the pressure up, to try to speed things up in this respect.
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHMy Lords, I am grateful for the faint hope that the noble Lord has given, but is he really telling the House that we cannot have two pedestrian crossings across Piccadilly until we have reconstituted the whole of the traffic lights of Piccadilly Circus? Surely, the phasing of these can come after the installation? If that cannot be done, would the noble Lord and his right honourable friend the Minister consider having two ordinary, common or garden pedestrian crossings across Piccadilly, at the places he 1029 has stated, so that pedestrians can cross this most heavily trafficked street in the West End of London?
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, as always, I am prepared to consider anything constructive, but this matter has already been considered, and I should have thought that the most promising line was to endeavour to speed up the installations so far as possible.
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHOf course, my Lords, I could suggest to the noble Lord that Westminster City Council might halt their additional purchase of parking meters in order to extract money from the motorists, and put up some traffic lights to safeguard the safety of pedestrians.
§ LORD CHESHAMMy Lords, I have no doubt that the Council will read the noble Lord's words in Hansard.