Solutions for London
Page 20
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THE PROBLEM of coach congestion in London has to be solved by traffic management and not restrictive licensing, Junior Transport Minister David Mitchell has told MPs.
The problem of coaches clogging the streets of central London was raised by Shadow Transport Secretary Gwyneth Dunwoody, who complained that London faces difficulties because there are no controls on coaches.
That meant areas that made minimal provisions for coach parking became extremely congested and overloaded.
Most of the 13 public coach parks in London were underused because they were not convenient for tourist attractions. "It is far too easy for coaches to park or to wait illegally on the streets."
The solutions acceptable to the operators were unrealistic for a capital city like London that had to allow for the movement of traffic in order to follow its normal commercial interests or to make adequate provision for its residents.
Mr Mitchell said the highway authorities did have traffic regulation powers to control the movement and parking of coaches.