§ Lieut.-Colonel Bromley-Davenportasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what is his present policy with regard to the creation and abolition of toll bridges in this country; and what is the present position with regard to priority for the expenditure of road funds on the freeing of toll bridges and the construction of new toll bridges, respectively.
§ Mr. WatkinsonMy policy is to impose tolls on certain very costly new bridge and tunnel projects where the present inconvenience to road users will be heavily outweighed by the value of the new facilities. The priority given to these projects is governed by the same factors as apply to other major road schemes, except that without tolls they would probably not be included in the programme at all. In present circumstances I cannot give a high priority to expenditure for the redemption of privately owned toll rights on existing bridges.