HC Deb 16 April 1957 vol 568 cc181-3W
Captain Pilkington

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will make a further statement about his plans to relieve traffic congestion in London.

Mr. Watkinson

Yes. I have now made Regulations which will permit the police in England and Wales, in addition to their existing powers of removal, to remove vehicles which are parked on the streets where there is a prohibition on waiting or where they are causing obstruction at intersections or by double banking. The police are required by the Regulations to provide for the safe custody of vehicles which they have removed. These Regulations will come into force on the 1st May, and similar Regulations for Scotland have been made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. Recent traffic experience has shown that a small number of cars improperly parked can clog traffic over a wide area. I hope that these additional powers will help the Metropolitan and City of London Police to maintain the flow of traffic in London, where I carry a special responsibility.

Other measures are in view. To help to deal with the increased traffic expected in London when petrol rationing ends, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has arranged with the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for a rearrangement of certain police duties which will enable additional supervision to be provided at difficult traffic points during the peak hours.

The London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee are pressing ahead at my request with reconsideration of the conditions which govern prohibitions and restrictions on waiting in London. As soon as I receive their advice I will issue consolidated regulations better adapted to the needs of motorists and the realities of today's traffic.

I do not overlook the need for additional long-term parking space in Central London. I am discussing with the Minister of Works whether arrangements can be made to extend the area available for parking on the new Colonial Office site and, as has already been announced, the British Transport Commission have plans for increasing the sites available for parking at British Railways and London Transport Stations.

The London Transport Executive have been deeply impressed during the petrol shortage by the benefits to the public and to themselves of the improved regularity of bus services. In an effort to preserve this regularity they have appointed an additional Divisional Superintendent in charge of running, and a number of additional inspectors. They also have other interesting and novel methods in view.

The Committee for the Staggering of Working Hours in Central London, which I appointed last November, are making good progress. Six representative subcommittees have been appointed to deal with the problems in the various zones of London; one has put detailed proposals designed to further staggering to some ninety employers in its zone.

I intend to press on with my policy of clearing traffic bottlenecks in congested city areas. As my hon. and gallant Friend knows, I have been trying for some time to find the right solution of the very difficult traffic problems at Hyde Park Corner and Marble Arch and this has required detailed examination of a number of possible alternatives. The Government have now come to the conclusion, subject to consideration of any views which the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee and the Royal Fine Art Commission may wish to put to me, that a scheme comprising a substantial enlargement of the roundabout at Hyde Park Corner together with the construction of an underpass for traffic from Piccadily to Knightsbridge, the use of Park Lane for southbound traffic and the construction of a second traffic way for northbound traffic, and considerable modification of the roundabout system at Marble Arch, will provide the best facilities for traffic. It is hoped that this scheme, and the works at Notting Hill and the Strand, will make a major contribution to the easing of traffic congestion in inner London.