BCC congestion coup
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• The Bus & Coach Council has moved a step nearer to getting cash from the Government to fund congestion-busting schemes it called for in its Ruses Mean Business report six months ago (CM 8-14 November 1990).
It has received a letter from Transport Minister Roger Freeman inviting it to meet at the end of the month to assess and look at the options for the projects which will cost nearly £18m.
This move was prompted by a letter from BCC head Veronica Palmer last month. She wrote to Transport Secretary Malcolm Rifkind after reading a newspaper article in which he failed to mention the role of the bus as one of the solutions to solving Britain's transport crisis.
The BCC was concerned that the Government's delay indicated it was backing away from the report, which calls for more busways, park-and-ride and cleaner fuel schemes. But it says it is "thrilled" that Freeman is following up his announcement in February that he was setting up a working party to combat congestion (CM 14-20 February). It is scheduled to meet for the first time on 30 April.
"We are absolutely delighted the Government is obviously taking the report seriously and the Minister is demonstrating full commitment," says David Watson of the BCC. "The financial contribution is almost secondary to bringing groups together to work on the projects." But he adds the BCC is now encouraged that Freeman will put "a very strong pitch to the Treasury on our behalf.
Included in the working party will be representatives from the Association of County Councils, the Association of District Councils, the Association of Metropolitan Authorities, the Police, the Passenger Transport Executive Group, the Department of Transport and the BCC.
Watson predicts that after the initial meeting representatives will be given tasks to work on: Freeman has promised to chair the first two meetings.
0 The BCC subsidiary Bus and Coach Training has received recognition for its PSV driver qualification from the National Council for Vocational Qualifications. It will be launched in May alongside the revised BCC coach drivers code of practice which will include elements of the NVQ scheme and will be extended to apply to all PSV drivers.