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Page 46
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in Parliament
MINISTRY CONSIDERING LORDS' SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS.
THE Minister of Transport stated in the House of Commons last week that he was considering the suggestion of the establishment of a Road Safety Research Board, among the other recommendations of the report of the Select Committee of the House of Lords on Niethods for the reduction of road accidents.
Mr. Leach suggested that in consider big up the proposed safety board the Minister should also consider keeping motorists off representation.
NO "SQUARE DEAL" STATEMENT YET.
I N answer to Captain Plugge, Mr. Burgin said he was giving immediate consideration to the report-which the Transport Advisory Council had submitted to him on the legislation needed to give effect to railway companies' "square deal" demands. But he was not yet in a position to make any statement.
HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT SURVEYS.
ASKED whether there was any intentention of making a highway development survey of Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow similar to that of Greater London, pre
pared by Sir Charles Bressey, Mr. Burgin stated that highway surveys had been included in the schemes of the Regional Town Planning Committees of each of these four cities, but it was not at present proposed to embark upon development surveys of the character indicated in the question.
Mr. Craven-Ellis asked if it . was advisable to proceed with those schemes before a national town-planning scheme had been prepared for the whole country.
Mr. Burgin said he certainly did not propose to delay the highway development of any city to await a national highway-planning system.
APPORTIONMENT OF COST OF SELBY BY-PASS.
I NFORMATION was sought by Colonel Ropner as to how it was proposed to spend 2.55,000 during the financial year 1939-40 on the Selby Bypass scheme and the approximate proportions of this sum that would be allocated to surveying, land purchase, and actual constructional work, respectively.
Mr. Burgin said the anticipated expenditure included 25,000 for the acquisition of land, 247,000 for constructional work, and the balance for the preliminary detailed survey and a part of the consulting engineer's fees.
By Our Special Parliamentary Correspondent
Mr. T. Williams asked why a scheme agreed between the East and West Riding County Councils, and the Ministry of Transport had been turned down, and why the new scheme, which was not nearly so useful or helpful, had been adopted.
Mr. Burgin replied that there had been an inquiry into the previous scheme, and that as a result of objections, the new scheme had been put forward.
YORKS WEST RIDING CAUSING HOLD-UP?
AS the Minister had already expressed his readiness to provide 60 per cent. of the cost of freeing Selby toll-bridge, and as East Riding County Council was prepared to provide half the remaining portion, Colonel Ropner asked, would he now take steps to obtain the small outstanding balance of 20 per cent. from West Riding County Council, whose refusal to co-operate was causing great public inconvenience and dissatisfaction.
Mr. Burgin answered that he had offered to acquire the tolls and to rebuild the existing bridge, if the local authorities concerned contributed 40 per cent, of the cost of the former and 2.5 per cent, towards the latter. His offer was still open, but he had no power to require the authorities to accept it, however greatly he regretted the present impasse,