Chunnel link
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• Movement for London director Andrew Pharoah is calling on the DOT to speed up the start of the construction of the Hackney-M11 road which will provide access to the Channel Tunnel rail freight terminal at Stratford. Plans for the road are being challenged in the High Court by local councils.
Rogues removed
• Rogue operators should have their vehicles confiscated instead of simply getting a "slap on the wrist" allowing them to return quickly to operating without an 0-licence, says RHA operations director Tim Inman,
MMI rescue
• Zurich Insurance is negotiating to take over the assets of Municipal Mutual Insurance, the beleaguered local authority fleet insurer. Several local authorities took their fleets off the road at the beginning of the month when MMI announced it was unable to renew their policies.
All together III Arend Westerlink, secretary general of the International Road Transport Union (IRU), has called on the RHA to take part in a joint initiative to put a harmonised system of road and fuel taxes before the European Commission. But he accepts that fuel tax will not be abolished: "Governments will not give up what they have," he says.
Speed snaps
The first UK operational trial of speed-trap cameras start this week in West London. This follows successful prosecutions on photographic evidence of motorists who jumped red lights.
Separate VAT
• The EC has dropped plans for a uniform 5% rate of VAT on International Transport by road, air, rail and water in a move to allow member states to make their own decisions.