Environmental objections to bus licence applications

A study has been made of the incidence and character of objections to bus licence applications which are based on environmental grounds. All Traffic Areas in Great Britain were included, the period covered by the study being October 1980 to February 1983. It was found that hearings before the Traffic Courts in which environmental objections were made represented less than half a percent of the total bus licence applications received by the Traffic Arms Offices. Residents' groups were predominant among those making objections, being present in approximately 60 percent of the hearings. The most frequently cited grounds for objections were safety, traffic and parking congestion, noise and unsuitability of the roads to be used by the proposed bus services. It was considered that the overall process worked satisfactorily, that objectors obtained a full and fair hearing and that there would not be any benefit from attempting to specify more precisely the admissable grounds for objections to licence applications.