Council backs move to manage coach tourism

12.47.31pm GMT Fri 9th Feb 2007

Richmond Council has backed a London-wide initiative to better manage the effects of coach tourism.

This week, the Council signed the Coach Concordat - a Transport for London (TfL) initiative supported by the London Coach Forum, designed to coordinate coach parking and other related matters throughout the capital. Under the agreement the Council pledges to forge strong partnerships with the coach industry, TfL, and other boroughs in an effort to resolve issues that may arise.

Cllr David Trigg, Cabinet Member for Traffic, Transport and Parking, said this week:

"We are delighted to support this initiative. This reinforces our commitment to work together throughout London to ensure that Richmond upon Thames gets the most from all transport initiatives. Signing the Concordat reinforces our efforts to solve coach-related issues. Coach tourism is important to London. However, it's clear that a number of problems have arisen throughout the capital related to the operation of coaches, including illegal parking. By and large as a borough, we are reasonably well served with coach parking compared to central London boroughs. However, signing the Concordat will help us find appropriate, practical solutions to parking and other problems as they arise. We will work even more closely with various key organisations including TfL, other local authorities, the enforcement agencies and the operators themselves.

"Our aim is to strike the right balance between needs of the coach industry and the needs of residents and businesses. For example, operators who sign the Concordat pledge to observe certain practices including switching off engines whenever the vehicle is stationary, so eliminating a major cause for complaint among residents, visitors and businesses. Matters such as short-term and overnight parking, setting down and picking up, and coach routing will also be discussed in partnership with the industry and other agencies in an effort to solve any problems."

Peter Bradley, Head of Commercial Bus and Coach at TfL, said this week when the Council officially signed up to the Concordat:

"We welcome Richmond's commitment to facilitate coach tourism and look forward to working in partnership with them in the future."