blasted the local bus service and Police.

Mr. Heiman, president of Track Entertainment, sang a sour tune as he claimed that Police were clueless on how to manage traffic in Dockyard and charged that the Public Transportation Board were mercenary.

The comments came after horrendous traffic problems at the Jazz Festival over the weekend.

The festival saw a record turnout, estimated by one reviewer to be 5,000, of both locals and tourists. And by 8 p.m. the parking had spilled out of the parking and immediate areas. Drivers parked anywhere they could find a spot and when questioned, confused looking Police directed motorists to Boaz Island.

A shuttle bus service was in operation from Boaz Island. But this too ran into the traffic problems as cars lined both sides of the road, in many cases not allowing enough room for a bus to get through.

At one point a bus driver had to simply knock off a car's rear view mirror in order to squeeze through.

Mr. Heiman admitted that his company was involved in every aspect of planning for the festival, but when asked of the advice Police gave him with regard to traffic he said: "They don't know what to do. The truth is they can't figure out the problem.

"The main problem is that there is only one road into the Dockyard and so there is always going to be a bottleneck.'' "We had 22 Police officers and two private security firms,'' he recalled.

"We had the trolley service, the tenders, and the buses. There is only so much you can do. What is really needed out there is better access.

"I would like to say that the cooperation I had with the ferries was outstanding.'' But Mr. Heiman sang no praises of the local bus service.

"My biggest complaint is of the bus company,'' he said. "Bermuda really needs the bus company to step it up. They would not give a single thing away.

I had to pay for every bus every minute. They just want to make money.'' Mr. Heiman, who boasted that he has produced several large festivals, compared the organisation of the local one with those in other places.

"At the Newport Jazz festival the organisers don't hire buses for the hotel guests,'' he said. "They have to find their own way there.

"I hired buses to take North American visitors from the Sonesta and the Southampton Princess to the festival, three buses at each of those hotels and I had to pay,'' he pointed out.

"The bus service didn't give one free thing. We used them as a shuttle service in Dockyard but we paid for it. They need to show Bermuda that they are supportive of the jazz festival.'' "We paid their overtime, nothing was left out. They are all about money,'' Mr. Heiman claimed.

Admitting that the parking and traffic were a problem, he said it will be considered a critical point in the planning for next year.

"Good transportation is pivotal to the success of the festival and I will be looking at it much more closely for next year,'' he said.

But Tourism's manager of promotional services, Deanna Wade, insisted Police were left in charge of traffic.

"You need to tell Bermudians to leave their cars at home so that we don't have the mess we saw,'' she said.

Meanwhile, Development Manager of the West End Development Corporation Ed Williams shrugged off the suggestion of any traffic mayhem. Insistent that everything went "very smoothly'', Mr. Williams added: "That doesn't mean you don't have problems.'' Admitting that better arrangements will have to be made next year in terms of actual parking and informing the public, Mr. Williams questioned the necessity of this article.

"I don't see why you think this is news worthy,'' he said. "The important thing is that people came and enjoyed themselves. I think once they were told where to park it went along all right.'' PTB director Herman Basden could not be contacted yesterday.