§ Mr. Gledhillasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether any appreciable economy would accrue if all traffic lights were switched off at 11 p.m. until dawn; whether any cities or towns are now doing this; and with what result?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerIt is estimated that if all traffic lights were extinguished from 11 p.m. until dawn, there would be a saving of something like 2,500,000 units a year. Against this would have to be set the danger to traffic that would result, unless some other form of control were introduced, and the loss of man-power that would be involved. I understand that in a few towns all traffic lights are switched off during the black-out hours and that in many others some signals have been shut off altogether, while others work only over a reduced number of hours. Local authorities have recently been asked to consider what further economies it is desirable that they should make.