The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport (Vice-Admiral John Hughes Hallett):

I am grateful to the hon. and learned Member for Stoke Newington and Hackney, North (Mr. Weitzman) for having raised the question of road safety in his Constituency. As he recognises, this is a national problem of the first importance. The present scale of homicide and mutilation on our roads is a stain on our record as a civilised people.

The hon. and learned Member was primarily concerned with the danger to pedestrians in urban areas in general and in particular in his constituency. Perhaps I may begin by saying something about the general problem as we see it. I hope that I will be forgiven for stating the obvious, but the time is long past when pedestrians can expect to cross busy roads or wander into the carriageways of busy roads whenever and wherever they please. There can be no safety for people who fail to realise this. Equally, where special pedestrian crossings are provided, it is imperative that drivers of motor vehicles approach them in an alert and obedient frame of mind and stop at once when the Laws say that pedestrians trying to cross have priority. That is obvious enough, but it deserves repeating because the latest accident figures show that the basic maxims of behaviour on the road continue to be ignored. Last year 2,740 pedestrians were killed.

I should like to say a few words in general terms about the various methods that can be used to make roads safer for pedestrians. The most radical of these is the complete segregation of pedestrians and vehicles along the lines of the Buchanan Report. However, with the present-day "pre-Buchanan" arrangement of roads and buildings, we must be content with simpler measures; pedestrian subways or footbridges, refuges in the middle of roads and various kinds of crossings, notably the well-known zebra. More recently, the one-way schemes in London have notably increased the safety of pedestrians. The hon. and learned Member will know that from his own constituency where the scheme in the Victoria Park area cut the accidents involving pedestrians by 43 per cent. in the first six months.

Finally, there is in prospect the new system known as "pedestrian control", a system which obliges pedestrians to use zebra crossings controlled by traffic signals. As the House knows, this system is being applied in a few places in London, and first reports indicate that it is working well.

There is no time to describe all these methods in detail, but before turning to the particular problems of the hon. and learned Gentleman's constituency I want to make two further general points about the zebra crossing. It is sometimes suggested, quite wrongly, that we refuse permission to put in a zebra crossing just because we are callous and indifferent to the safety of pedestrians. This is not so. It is essential, in the general interest of pedestrians, that the number of crossings should be kept reasonably small because experience has shown quite clearly that where there are too many zebra crossings drivers pay less attention to them. Their currency, so to speak, becomes devalued. That is why we have to examine most carefully all the sites proposed in order to make sure that they are really justified.

The second general point I want to make is that zebra crossings are not a very satisfactory safety measure for old people whose judgment of vehicle speeds and distances is often impaired and whose reactions may be slow. There is a risk that these crossings can and do give old people a false sense of security. Nor are they an adequate safeguard for young children. They are liable to run out on to them thoughtlessly and leave drivers no chance to avoid them. By far the best protection for children is for an adult to see them across the road. I agree, of course, with the hon. and learned Gentleman that an adult is not always available to do this.

I turn now to the particular problems of the hon. and learned Member's constituency. As he has explained to us, his chief concern is with the difficulty in crossing Clapton Common at its junction with Portland Avenue. The hon. and learned Gentleman, as he said, has been in constant touch with the Department on this problem, and the highway authority has twice applied for permission to install a zebra crossing. In passing, I wish to express my regret to the hon. and learned Gentleman for the delay that he has experienced in obtaining a reply to his letters. I am quite sure that my right hon. Friend equally regrets this delay, but I am bound to add, however, that the hon. and learned Gentleman may not realise the enormous volume of correspondence about specific points on our highways which conies to my right hon. Friend and to the Parliamentary Secretary who deals with road matters. I know only too well because sometimes in the Recess I have to sign the replies, and the volume is unbelievable.

I can say, however, that we have thoroughly investigated traffic conditions at this site and we agree that there is a fair amount of traffic in Clapton Common; that its average speed is high by urban standards, and that there is difficulty in crossing the road at certain times of the day. However, and this is one reason why we have resisted the application from the council, there is not the demand throughout the day to justify a zebra crossing.

Furthermore, and this is more important, because of the speed of the traffic and the bend in the road to the north of the junction, the provision of an uncontrolled crossing here would not provide sufficient protection for pedestrians, and might therefore be hazardous. This was discussed and agreed between our traffic engineers, the council's engineers and the police at a meeting on the site last July. Since then the hon. and learned Member has drawn our attention in correspondence to the death of a young pedestrian at this junction. I am not sure whether this is the same individual as the one to whom he referred in the letter which he quoted, but, in the case which we examined and looked into we understand that, according to the coroner's finding, the pedestrian committed suicide. However tragic this incident may be for those concerned, I must say quite frankly that it is impossible to make our highways proof against suicides. There is no way in which that could be done.

Nevertheless, there have certainly been other accidents at this spot. For example, an elderly lady and two children were injured not so long ago. We should like to see some improvement made. As I have said, we think that an uncontrolled zebra crossing would not be the right way to make the site safe for children and old people. But there are two other possibilities. I understand that the Hackney Metropolitan Borough Council is preparing a scheme for widening Clapton Common from Forburg Road to Stamford Hill and installing a series of refines which would be a real help to pedestrians. I hope that this scheme will shortly be submitted for our consideration.

Secondly, the borough engineer and surveyor has suggested that some form of signal controlled crossing might be appropriate. The traffic and pedestrian conditions at this junction indicate that this might be a suitable site for a Panda crossing. I am not in a position to say anything definite on this as the results of the experiment with the Panda crossing are still being evaluated.

The hon. and learned Member was also concerned about the difficulties particularly for children, in crossing Lordship Road at its junction with Fairholt Road. We have not been approached by the highway authority about this junction. We have received only one request from a member of the public seeking improved facilities for children crossing the junction. This request was passed to the council for its consideration. We have not yet been able to obtain traffic figures, but the accident record certainly indicates some danger to children. Three schoolchildren were slightly injured in just over two years. On the face of it, the difficulty could best be solved by the provision of a school crossing patrol. I understand that the council has approached the Metropolitan Police and asked for this. We shall keep in touch with the council and examine sympathetically any application which may be made.