§ 2.35 p.m.
§ LORD BOSSOMMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider making all road signs uniform throughout Great Britain to prevent the confusion now occurring at a considerable number of places.]
EARL FERRERSMy Lords, Her Majesty's Government are well aware of the importance of a uniform system of road signs, and Traffic Signs Regulations already prescribe their size, colour and type. New Regulations are being prepared to give effect to the far-reaching recommendations of the Committee, which sat under the chairmanship of Sir Walter Worboys, to review traffic signs on all-purpose roads. As my right honourable friend said on March 2, because the necessary consultations are taking longer than expected, it is unlikely that the Regulations will be ready before September. A manual for the use of local authorities will be issued at the same time, and this should help to bring about a greater uniformity in the use of signs, including their siting, height, frequency and maintenance.
§ LORD BOSSOMMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that quite satisfactory Answer for the future, may I ask how soon is all of this going to be put into practice, so as to avoid, if possible, more of the accidents that undoubtedly occur to-day on account of the lack of uniformity of these signs?
EARL FERRERSMy Lords, provision will be made in the new Regulations for the conversion of all mandatory and prohibitive signs—in other words, "Stop", "Halt", "One way" signs, and so forth—within two years, and all other signs on the most important roads will be changed within three years of the coming into force of the Regulations.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, may I ask this: will the final decision rest with the Ministry of Transport or with the local authority with regard to the roads that are not A-ways?
EARL FERRERSMy Lords, the decision on whether or not to put up a traffic sign remains with the highway authorities. The Minister, of course, is highway authority for motorways and trunk roads and is responsible for the erection of signs on roads directly under his jurisdiction. All other roads are the responsibility of the highway authorities, and the Minister will encourage them to do all they can to see that these signs are brought up to date.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYBut he cannot insist?
EARL FERRERSMy Lords, he can insist in the particular but not in the general. In other words, he can say, "This sign must be changed", but cannot say that an authority must change all the signs on its roads.
§ LORD SOMERSMy Lords, would my noble friend not agree that until we get one highway authority we shall never really achieve uniformity of signs on the roads, even on the main roads and possibly the B-roads?
EARL FERRERSMy Lords, uniformity of signs might be one advantage of a single highway authority, but it may have other considerable disadvantages.
§ LORD MORRISON OF LAMBETHMy Lords, is the noble Earl aware that some of us do not wish to see local government destroyed altogether, and is it not the case that if a local authority wish to make a zebra-crossing, which I should have thought ought to be within the jurisdiction of a local authority, they cannot do so without the consent of the Minister of Transport, who sometimes refuses?
EARL FERRERSMy Lords, with respect to the noble Lord, I think that is rather a different question. But a highway authority is responsible for the road signs on its roads.
§ LORD MORRISON OF LAMBETHThe noble Earl had better inquire.
§ LORD BOSSOMMy Lords, could my noble friend say whether he is going to make hand signs equally standardised?
EARL FERRERSHand signs are, of course, perfectly adequately explained in the existing Highway Code.
§ LORD BOSSOMMy Lords, can my noble friend say that they are carried out? That certainly does not seem to be always the case, and I think that if failure to give proper hand signs were regarded more seriously, it might save a lot of accidents.
EARL FERRERSMy Lords, I am sure that the noble Lord would be the first to agree that it is not the business of Her Majesty's Government to see that the laws are carried out.
§ LORD KILLEARNMy Lords, may I asked the noble Earl whose business it is?
EARL FERRERSMy Lords, the police authorities are responsible for seeing that the laws are carried out on the roads.