HL Deb 03 August 1939 vol 114 cc865-6WA
LORD DAVIES

asked how many horses are employed in the London area, and whether in view of the urgent necessity of relieving congestion His Majesty's Government will take steps to restrict horse traffic to specified hours?

THE EARL OF FEVERSHAM

No recent census has been taken, but according to an estimate by the National Horse Association, based on a census taken in 1934, there are approximately 13,000 cobs and ponies and 20,500 van and cart-horses in Greater London. According to a twelve-hour census taken in 1937 at ninety-one points in the Metropolitan Police District the number of horse-drawn vehicles represented 2.2 per cent. of the total vehicular traffic recorded; the proportion in 1927 was 8.2 per cent. In 1935 the Minister of Transport inquired into the possibility of accelerating the substitution of mechanically-propelled for horse-drawn vehicles and was informed that the transition to the new form of transport had been proceeding for some years and was likely to continue. It was represented to him that the prohibition of the use of horses in the Metropolis would increase the cost of transport and impose considerable hardship on many people and would seriously affect many trades particularly small traders and farmers.

The tonnage conveyed by motor and horse vehicles owned by the railway companies at stations in the Inner London Area was as follows in the years mentioned:

— Tons conveyed by Percentage.
Motor. Horse. Motor. Horse.
1932 2,080,789 2,879,996 42.4 57.6
1937 4,151,778 2,042,359 67.1 32.9
The companies have informed the Minister that further substitutions are becoming more difficult to justify owing to the nature of the work.

Two sets of regulations have been made restricting the use of slow-moving, including horse-drawn, vehicles (which includes vehicles restricted by statute to a speed of five miles per hour or less, vehicles drawn by horses or other animals or drawn or propelled by hand) between the hours of 12 noon and 7 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays and 12 noon and 3 p.m. on Saturdays. The first regulations (made in 1931) relate to Oxford Street and short lengths of adjoining side streets; the second (made in 1937) relate to parts of Regent Street, Haymarket, Bond Street, New Oxford Street and High Holborn. Regulations will shortly be made imposing similar restrictions in Blackwall Tunnel between 8 a.m. and 9.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. The London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee (who are the Minister's statutory advisers on such matters) have at various times considered the problem presented by slow-moving vehicles. They propose again to consider the desirability of extending further the regulations in respect of slow-moving traffic.

House adjourned at ten minutes past seven o'clock.