HC Deb 01 October 1941 vol 374 c596W
Mr. Purbrick

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that at some road works being carried out in the main street in the village of Uxbridge, near the junction of Harefield Road, a policeman is stationed for directing traffic who is equipped with two police signals, electrically controlled; and whether he is satisfied that this expense is justified when the signalling can be done equally as well by the use of a red flag?

Mr. H. Morrison

Yes, Sir. I am informed by the Commissioner of Police that the use of portable traffic signals enables the traffic to be held up at the right place at each end of the excavation by one policeman instead of two. One man with a red flag in the middle of the excavation could not effectively control the shuttle service of traffic.