WHITE-LINE TEST FLOP
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BY OUR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT IT looks as if the Government's big double-white-line experiments on three-lane roads has been a flop. After lengthy trials up and down the country, Transport Minister Mrs. Barbara Castle is expected to make a statement soon saying that they have not reduced accidents appreciably.
A full assessment of the various reports on the experiments is now with Mrs. Castle. I understand it shows conclusively that three-lane roads are just about as dangerous whether overtaking is controlled in this way or not.
The Government now faces a difficult alternative. Is there some other way to make threelane highways more safe, or must a lot of money be spent in converting them to dual carriageway?
On the overloaded roads, dual carriageways are probably the only answer. But, at this present time of financial squeeze, it is going to be a difficult problem to say whether the money must come out of the already overstretched road programme, or whether some extra funds must be made available.
MPs are expecting a statement from the Minister at any time. Three-lane highways have become intensely disliked by all kinds of traffic experts in the past few years.
The experiments have been carried out in various parts of the country, including the Al, A4, A6, A259 and the A8. The tests have lasted two years each on average, and a statement on the results had been promised since as long ago as last summer.
Figures which tended to prove the fact that the experiment was not succeeding were given by Mr. John Morris. Parliamentary Secretary for Transport, twelve months ago.
On a stretch of the A4 west of Reading where the offset double lines were laid down, the accident rate during a three-year experiment totalled 81, compared with 62 for the preceding three years.
Mr. Morris said that these figures represented "no significant change" when one took into account the extra volume of traffic.
But if they turn out to be representative of the experiment as a whole, the disturbing increase in the numbers of accidents—whether due to increased traffic or not—will have a conclusive effect on MPs.