§ VISCOUNT NORWICHMy 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 what practical purpose, if any, is served by the traffic lights controlling traffic filtering from Gloucester Place into Rossmore Road, N.W.1; and whether they will arrange for the lights to be removed.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (LORD SHEPHERD)My Lords, 1148 these signals are the responsibility of the Greater London Council as the traffic authority. I understand that the Council considered that control of filtering traffic was necessary to provide a break in the traffic for pedestrians wishing to cross Rossmore Road.
§ VISCOUNT NORWICHMy Lords, will the noble Lord believe me when I tell him that for the last ten years I have been living in Paddington and taking that road back every single night, and I have, more often than not, been stopped at these traffic lights where there is no cross stream of traffic. Never once, to my recollection, have I had to wait for a pedestrian to cross the road. Pedestrians never seem to use that crossing.
§ THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (LORD SHACKLETON)My Lords, would the noble Viscount ask a question? Asking somebody on the Front Bench whether he believes something is not really a question.
§ VISCOUNT NORWICHMy Lords, I should like to ask the noble Lord how he feels I should have framed that question while wishing to make the point I made.
§ LORD SHACKLETONMy Lords, only the noble Viscount can possibly answer that question.
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, all I can suggest is that the noble Viscount conveys his thoughts and views to the Greater London Council, which is the traffic authority.