§ Lord Dubsasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why pedestrian crossings in the Royal Parks are not marked in the same way as pedestrian crossings elsewhere. [HL5503]
§ The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Blackstone)Responsibility for the subject of this question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency and I have asked its chief executive, William Weston, to reply.
177WALetter from the Chief Executive of the Royal Parks Agency, Mr William Weston, dated 30 July 2002.
I have been asked by the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport to reply to your Parliamentary Question about pedestrian crossings in the Royal Parks as this is an operational matter for which the Agency is responsible.
The Royal Parks are primarily for the quiet enjoyment of the public, with priority being given to pedestrians. As such, it is our policy to reduce the impact of traffic in the Royal parks wherever we can.
As the roads in the parks are not public highways, we are not obliged to use standard signage and road markings. Although we try and keep as close to the conventional versions as possible, we adapt road traffic features like pedestrian crossings so that they are appropriate to a park setting. This reduces the visual impact of the roads on the park landscape and makes it more obvious to drivers that they are not on an urban street.