Greens slam BCC plans
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• The Bus and Coach Council's plans to beat traffic congestion does not go far enough, according to an environmental transport group.
The BCC report, Buses Mean Business, contains a two-stage campaign against urban congestion, which it says costs Britain £15bn a year.
But Chris Bowers at The Environmental Transport Association says that the htts industry could have been far more bullish, because of its contribu tion to the environment.
The first stage of the BCC plan outlines measures operators can take to improve the industry's image, without the need for further legislation.
They are being asked to ensure that vehicles and waiting areas are modern, clean and attractive; to introduce features for disabled passengers; to give a high standard of staff training in customer care, and to enforce a smoking ban.
The second stage of the BCC plan is for a series of Government-funded demonstration projects with a total cost of £17.5m. They include:
0 Three 'green route' schemes — greenpainted bus lanes with junction priorities. LI A dualtransit scheme, with a bus operated onroad as well as on controlled busways. CI Three park-and-ride schemes.
El Four clean fuel schemes, with buses running on ethanol.
• An engine efficiency scheme, monitoring a bus fitted with a new energy saving diesel engine.
O A trolleybus scheme. O A feeder network linking residential areas with railway stations.
O The installation of street furniture and information systems at bus stops, including raised boarding areas to ease access, sheltering and clearer location signs.
In reply to Bowers, the BCC says it has proposed schemes which it considers to be achievable. "It's time that everyone recognised just what buses can do if we really let them," says BCC president John Owen. "Trams, or 'light rapid transit' as they get called these days, might be the flavour of the month, but buses can do a much better job at a fraction of the cost. Buses mean business — they are the only ready option to tackle the task of cutting urban congestion and • Copies of Buses Mean Business are available from the Bus and Coach Council, Sardinia House, 52 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LZ.