Mr. Vaneasked the Minister of Transport whether he is satisfied that traffic on main roads, notably A.6 where it crosses Shap, is not being unduly obstructed by the transport by road of large and awkward loads which might more conveniently be moved either by rail or coastal shipping; and how the volume of such traffic on main roads today compares with 1938.
§ Mr. BarnesInquiries I have made do not suggest that these loads are, in general, unduly obstructive, although they may on occasion cause inconvenience or delay to other road users. Information relating to 1938 is deficient, but the volume of such traffic is undoubtedly much greater now that it was then. On the London—Carlisle road over Shap there were 30 such loads in the first half of 1938 and 203 in the first half of this year.