§ 70. Mr. Danceasked the Minister of Transport what plans he has for dealing with motorway dazzle and the danger of accidents caused by cars crossing the central reservation following the removal of the anti-dazzle crash barrier on the M.1.
§ Mr. Tom FraserThe metal mesh screen on M.1. was designed solely as an anti-dazzle device, not as a crash barrier. Its removal will enable me to assess its effectiveness in reducing accidents. I am also experimenting with anti-dazzle planting on M.2. to see whether shrubs can survive in the difficult conditions prevailing on motorway central reserves.
The crash barrier experiments on M.1 are still in progress. Two nine-mile lengths of double steel rail safety fence were erected recently and a further nine-mile length of a new type of cable safety fence being developed by the Road Research Laboratory will shortly be installed.
185WIt would be premature to formulate plans to deal with these problems before the various experiments have yielded sufficient information.