Election sniping
Page 20
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SPECULATION that a future Conservative Government would impose new speed restrict ions on coaches on motorways appears to be un-, founded, but the Conservatives are warning that a Labour Government would kill the growing inter-city coach market.
The speculation about speed limits appeared in Tuesday's edition of The Guardian, but it seems largely unfounded although Transport Under Secretary Lynda Chalker wrote last year to the Bus and Coach Council, expressing her concern that coaches are driven at speeds in excess of the 70mph limit.
There is no mention of any such intention in the Conservative manifesto and the Department of Transport has instigated no particular or specific checks on coach speed on the M1 north of Watford.
The DTp stressed this week that the enforcement of speed limits is a matter for the police. There have been instances of coach drivers being prosecuted for speeding but there is little evidence to suggest that this particular group of road users is any less law abiding than any other.
The BCC has warned its members of the dangers and the damage to the image of coaching caused by obviously speed-ing coaches and there have been instances of coaches being reported for speeding by car drivers.
One such incident reported by an operator to CM involved a Neoplan double-deck coach which a motorist reported as travelling at 87mph. The coach was subsequently stopped and checked by police who examined the tachograph chart and found that the vehicle had been driven at 73mph.
A spokesman for the Thames Valley Police, which covers lengths of the Ml, M4 and M40 told CM that coaches were not a particular problem and that they had not identified a higher proportion of coaches exceeding the speed limit than any other class of vehicle.
Meanwhile, Transport Secretary David Howell has warned that a Labour Government would kill off the expansion of low cost inter-city coach travel.
Speaking in his Guildford constituency, Mr Howell said Labour's policies represented a plan for transport chaos.
He accused Labour of not wanting people to get the new services they wanted, which was why they would undo the legislation that had allowed these services to grow.
Labour had also supported all moves by councils to increase transport subsidies whatever the cost to the ratepayer.
In London, by backing continued Greater London Council control of London Transport, Labour had put passengers last at the expense of the "dotty left".
Labour's transport strategy seemed to benefit everyone except users and customers, he concluded.