Ridley impatient
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TRANSPORT SECRETARY Nicholas Ridley has displayed further impatience with existing road service licensing controls.
In a speech delivered in Hampshire last week, he said: "It is often the case that people develop a myopia when it comes to transport.
"They see the transport operators, but forget the customers. Airlines think transport is for the benefit of the airlines. Railway enthusiasts think it is for their benefit.
"All three are ably supported by the unions who think it is for the benefit of their members. And they are generally supported by the law," he added, Mr Ridley added: "I seem to be involved in endless public inquiries, appeal decisions, even litigation, about whether someone can compete for the travellers' patronage."
He said: "But this is not the rule with sweet shops or shoe shops. The authorities do not decide to restrict them to the number that will supply the needs of the local population.
"Some sweet shops and shoe shops go bust, but no one suggests that they should be protected from competition," he claimed.