§ Mr. RathboneTo ask the Secretary of State for Tranport what causal relationship his Department has established between the amount of new road building or road improvements and the increase in car ownership and car use.
§ Mr. KeyNone. Growth in car ownership and use is best explained by growth in incomes and the economy. Nor is there conclusive evidence that individual road improvement schemes are a significant factor in creating traffic; but this relationship is being studied by the Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment, which is due to report shortly.