§ Mr. Monroasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the length of the A.74 in miles; how much of the A.74 has a central reservation barrier; and how many miles of central reservation barrier will be erected in the next two years.
§ Mr. McElhoneThe trunk road section of A.74 in Scotland is about 69 miles long, of which about 9 miles has a central safety barrier. Further lengths of central barrier totalling about 20 miles are programmed over the next two years.
§ Mr. Monroasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the fatal accident involving four lives on the A.74 on 7th November, he will reconsider his decision not to erect a central reservation barrier the whole length of the A.74; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. McElhoneAccidents on the A.74 and the need for safety barriers are kept under review. Barriers can both cause and reduce accidents and so are provided only where the layout of the road or the volume of traffic is such that barriers would be likely to reduce accidents. My right hon. Friend intends that more barriers should be provided on this road in order to gain experience of their effect. There is no previous history of cross-over accidents on the section of A.74 where the tragic accident occurred on 7th November.