BCC's election bid
Page 17
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE BUS:. The key to urban mobility is the title of the latest report in the Bus and Coach Council campaign to promote the case for the bus.
It was launched in the last full week of the election campaign and outlines the obvious advantages of the bus in providing urban mobility, reduced traffic congestion, positive impact on commerce and industry, best use of land, fuel saving and reduced pollution and increased road safety.
The report intends to ensure that the new House of Commons would fully understand the economic and social significance of the bus. It contends that the whole future and prosperity of city centres and the freedom of movement of millions of people depends on the bus. BCC has sent a copy to every major party election candidate.
It calls for the recognition in land use and town planning policies of the need and what it sees as the role of the bus together with more bus priority and traffic management schemes which it contends will facilitate both bus operation, and therefore use.
It calls for the resources and manpower to enforce traffic regulations and in particular to reduce the level of illegal parking which has a particularly severe impact on the urban bus operator.
The report calls for the maintenance of the option to crosssubsidise within towns and cities where it can be demonstrated that this is in the public interest, and it calls for the protection of decision making at a local level where a particular policy for fares is considered appropriate by local elected representatives and supported by the community.
It calls for a new capital grant from central government to meet capital needs to encourage innovation as well as fostering home-based bus manufacturing industry, the maintenance of transport supplementary grant and the equality of tax treatment for private (company car) users and public transport users.