Much for King to do
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A MASSIVE amount of work will have to start soon on preparing the legislation to create the new London regional transport authority promised in the Conservatives' election manifesto.
This is one of the major priorities in new Transport Secretary Tom King's in-tray, but legislation is unlikely to be introduced in Parliament before the autumn.
The Regional Transport Authority is a watered-down version of the Commons transport committee's recommendation last year for a metropolitan transport authority to co-ordinate roads and public transport policy in the capital.
Roads policy will now pass from the Greater London Council to the Department of Transport, under the Government's plans, and the RTA will be responsible for all bus and rail services. The sub-division of London Transport into separate bus and rail undertakings is one anticipated outcome.
Mr King is also expected to announce plans soon for the injection of private capital into the National Bus Company, apparently to a greater extent than his predecessor, David Howell, proposed. Until now, the property interests were to benefit from partnership with private developers, and the National Express and National Holidays businesses were also to be privatised. But City doubts about the true financial performance of the coach businesses, and the difficulty of separating their accounts from the rest of NBC, have delayed any moves.
There has been no hint of how much further Mr King might be prepared to go, but NBC must wonder whether it will be allowed to hold on to Amalgamated Passenger Transport, its surplus bus sales company, or such regional engineering businesses as Kent Engineering or Midland Red Carlyle Works.
An early appeal is also ex pected to go Mr King's way from Anthony Shepherd, whose Amos London minibus proposals were rejected by London Transport (CM, June 11) after its independent inspector wrote a particularly damning report. Mr King is free to overturn this decision, but must give sound reasons if he does.
Mr Shepherd confirmed to CM this week that he will appeal against the refusal, rather than revise his proposals or submit a fresh application for the same plan.
Further deregulation of stage bus services was also promised in the Conservative manifesto, and legislation to this effect must be drafted.
The Bus and Coach Council, reflecting the concern about Government plans in particular among its larger members, wants a "very early" meeting with Mr King.