---

Road Safety Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 46A:"Page 50, line 20, at end insert—" ““(aa)   in subsection (2), after paragraph (d) insert— ““(e)   security, cleaning and maintenance facilities””,”” The noble Lord said: My Lords, we return to the issue of trunk road picnic areas. The Government have a good idea here. They tell us that tiredness kills and they want people to pull off special roads and trunk roads and take a break. But their thinking rather comes to an end there. They say, ““Here is a space””, but then the issue of who is going to look after that space, keep it clean, provide lavatory facilities, refreshments—if there are to be any—and security have all been left rather in the air. There is then the prospect that local authorities will be left with a not inconsiderable bill for looking after these places, which could become unsanitary, crime-ridden, fly-tipping sites if we are not careful. An opportunity arises in that, shortly, the Highways Agency is due to consult on the regulations that govern motorway service areas. That would provide an excellent opportunity for the provision of these additional facilities to be reviewed alongside the present outdated framework for motorway service areas. The Highways Agency could carry out a review of existing sites—motorway service areas—and new sites—the picnic areas—and, I hope, come up with a system that provides proper management at both kinds of site. Contractors could be engaged under the competitive tendering process, which is now used for motorway sites, to encompass new picnic areas so that they can be managed properly and offer people somewhere pleasant, comfortable and attractive to stop rather than somewhere that is very unpleasant and that few people would use. We hope that the Minister will say, in response to the amendments moved by me, the noble Earl, Lord Attlee, and the noble Lord, Lord Hanningfield, that there is more work to do on this. Clause 40 is not the end of the story but almost the beginning. I would like to hear whether the Minister intends to put some flesh on the bones. I beg to move.