READERS may have gained the impression from the report in the Evening Press (October 3) that no communication took place with bus companies about the impact of the A64 Copmanthorpe works on bus services.

This is not the case and I wish to explain what took place.

The A64 project is being organised by the highway authority which is liaising with the city council. It is the council's responsibility to inform bus companies about the impact of roadworks on their services. The bus company can then decide what action to take.

Bus companies were provided with full details of the A64 scheme at a meeting arranged by council officers at the request of the Highways Agency several months before the work was due to start. Contractors working for the agency subsequently provided the bus companies with detailed information about the programme of works.

From this consultation, the bus companies were able to decide whether diversion arrangements for their services were necessary. Bus companies must register diversionary routes with the Government's traffic commissioner.

Initially, First York chose to stick to their established route. Subsequent experience of the roadworks led the company to register diversionary routes to Copmanthorpe to avoid the roadworks.

I can assure Press readers that daily communication exists between the council's transport planning unit and bus companies.

Ultimately, however, it is the companies who decide how to run their commercial services.

Dave Pearson,

Principal transport planner,

City of York Council,

St Leonard's Place, York.

Updated: 10:07 Monday, October 08, 2001