Clause 40 - Motorway picnic areas etc.
Road Safety Bill
5:15 pm
Mr David Jamieson (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport; Plymouth, Devonport, Labour)
Amendment No. 50 concerns section 112 of the Highways Act 1980, which deals with the Secretary of State's power to manage picnic areas. Public areas beside motorways will be designed to provide motorists with the opportunity to take a short break in the course of their journey. The Secretary of State is already able to limit the stays at picnic sites as part of his general power to manage sites. However, some individuals may wish to use these sites on a long-term basis. The picnic area would then be unavailable for the legitimate use of motorists. There may also be a risk of damage to the facilities on the site.
The proposed amendment would strengthen the Secretary of State's power by allowing the enforcement of waiting restrictions by removing vehicles and the recovery of costs of doing so. The power will extend to all trunk road picnic sites, not just those on motorways. Amendment 51 is a consequential amendment to the title of the clause; a motorway is a trunk road but a trunk road is not necessarily a motorway. The amendments strengthen the clause but this clause is necessary to ensure that we can remove people who want to squat on the site for long periods of time.