§ 2.41 p.m.
LORD FARINGDONMy 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 the research into the best treatment of the central reserve on dual carriageway roads and motorways has been completed; and, if so, what conclusions can be drawn.]
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, the experiments with the use of shrubs as an anti-dazzle screen are continuing on the Medway Motorway (M.2). Results so far have shown that with very careful ground preparation certain species of shrubs can survive in conditions prevailing on a motorway central reserve, particularly if they are protected by screens; coarse hessian has been used for some time. After another winter the screens will be removed to see whether growth continues or the plants die back. Experiments on M.1 with various crash barriers, and at the Road Research Laboratory into new and improved types of barrier, are still continuing. Conclusive evidence on all these trials will take some time to produce and is not likely to be available in the near future.
LORD FARINGDONMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his frankness. It is more satisfactory to be told once and for all that it will take some time, than to have the usual answer that the information will be available in a few months. I am not quite clear from what the noble Lord said—and perhaps he can enlighten me—what is meant by "barrier"?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I hope that the noble Lord appreciates—and I think he will if he is a gardener—that not all the plants that one puts in necessarily grow and flourish, and this is one of the difficulties that has to be faced.
§ LORD SHEPHERDThis is one of the difficulties experienced on the Medway motorway. In fact, we put in eleven different types of shrubs and three of them did not survive under the prevailing conditions. To deal with the second part of the noble Lord's supplementary question, the barrier to which I was referring in the latter part of my Answer was a steel barrier, which is erected particularly where the centre verge is very narrow.
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, we are looking into this question to see that the screens not only form anti-dazzle barriers but also act as a protection for traffic moving on the two carriageways.
§ LORD NUGENT OF GUILDFORDMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that we sympathise with him in these difficulties and wish well the work that is being carried out to find plants that will survive salt, and so on, which comes up off the roads in the winter? But is he also aware that on the M.4 a different kind of structure has been put on the central reserve; namely, lamp standards? Is that really a wise thing to do? Might they not be the cause of serious accidents?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, if the noble Lord would put down a Question I will seek to answer it, after making the necessary inquiries. It is some time since I travelled on that road, and I am not in a position to answer that question at the moment.
LORD ST. JUSTMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that shrubs are not so effective as anti-dazzle netting, and that such netting and crash barriers appear to be the answer on all Continental motorways?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I think that probably material forms of structure may be useful, and in some cases 915 are perhaps better than shrubs. On the other hand, shrubs eventually will give some form of beauty to what I think are rather monotonous slabs of concrete, and certainly they will help to prevent drivers from being distracted by the type of road. With regard to crash barriers, I would agree with what the noble Lord said, but it often depends on the width of the carriageway. One other factor that must be borne in mind is that if there are long stretches of barriers there is a chance that the driver who is on the fast lane will have his vision obscured for quite some distance.
§ LORD MANCROFTMy Lords, can the noble Lord tell us how the shrub survival ratio of eight to three compares with the ratio of survival of human beings on the same road?
§ LORD SHEPHERDNot without notice, my Lords.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, following that answer, may I ask my noble friend whether the Government will give any consideration to the beauty of these roads which tend to become monotonous? I am thinking particularly of the A.40, at the approach to Denham, where the flowering shrubs are a great addition to the attractiveness of the road.
§ LORD SHEPHERDCertainly, my Lords.
§ LORD REDMAYNEMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether consideration is being given to the use of the climbing rose, as giving both amenity value and just the right elasticity to absorb shock? This is a perfectly serious point. Roses are of even greater value than many other forms of barrier.
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I believe that this type of plant is used in the United States of America, but I gather that it needs to be a fairly deep bush. One of our misfortunes in this country is that we have had to restrict the width of the centre verges, because if we go to (I think it is) nearly 52 feet, which is the normal width in the United States, this would decrease the land in the district of the motorway by some 17 per cent., and I think that those in this House who are farmers would certainly raise objections to it.
§ VISCOUNT BRENTFORDMy Lords, may I ask two short questions? First, can the noble Lord give any forecast at all as to the date when conclusions will be reached on these matters? Secondly, is it only on the M.1 and the M.2 that these experiments have been carried out?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I think the experiments are taking place on a number of our motorways, and also at the Road Research Laboratory. As to when conclusions can be reached, I will be quite frank with the noble Lord. I think that it will be some time, because there are many disadvantages to steel barriers, and research is being done to find a form of structure which will reduce the disadvantage to the vehicle that hits the barrier and is then thrown straight back into the following traffic.