Bermuda is gearing up to start a new Quango to supervise an integrated public transport system with better ferry and bus services.

Erwin Adderley , the Island's new Transport Minister, said Government was preparing to set up a special authority to help shift people out of their cars and onto other forms of transport.

He was speaking at the start of a House of Assembly debate on four reports on traffic and transport strategies to prepare Bermuda for the 21st Century.

And the new Minister, who replaced Wayne Furbert , said Bermuda's roads were now clogged up with 21,591 cars -- which could rise by 20 percent because of current laws.

Mr. Adderley said: "The total number of vehicles on our roads is 47,746. It is shocking to think that we have tried to limit the number of vehicles by limiting cars to one per household.

"We have a road problem and the most important factor is that 79.6 percent of rental units have cars attached to them.

"That means we could increase the number of vehicles on our roads by 20 percent under the present law. And increased vehicles can mean increased accidents.'' He said Bermuda had 27,134 rental units and 21,591 cars. And there were 2,929 road accidents last year compared to 2,888 in 1996, 2,961 in 1995 and 2,842 in 1994.

Mr. Adderley said the reports showed extra-dense traffic flows in and out of Hamilton because more and more people were living in the central parishes of Southampton, Warwick, Smith's and Hamilton Parish.

"Hamilton continues to be the major destination for the travelling public,'' he said. "Fifty percent of all work trips are destined for Hamilton.

"Public transport, at present, isn't providing the convenient alternative that it should be in order to significantly reduce the number of vehicles on our roads.

"We must make it less convenient to use a car and more convenient to use other forms of transportation, such as public transport.'' He said Hamilton already had three million square feet of office space and another 500,000 square feet was approved for development in June 1997.

And the reports' studies revealed most of the pressure on Bermuda's roads came between the May-to-October tourist season.

"Thirty percent of hotel visitors and ten percent of cruise ship visitors use livery cycles,'' added the Minister, elected to Parliament this year as MP for Pembroke West.

"At the highest point since 1994, we have had 106 accidents per 100,000 visitors.

"Now we must shift to an integrated transport service and an integrated transport system. It would involve buses feeding the buses and buses feeding the ferries.

"We need a credible authority with a working committee to oversee the development of this system.

"We also intend to introduce speed detection cameras, renewable driving licences at a certain age and a visual test.

"The Transport Control Department will also be asked to support the Police in enforcing safety laws.'' Shadow Transport Minister Dennis Lister said he was "surprised'' the new Minister managed such a short presentation considering there had been four reports.

He added: "I would have thought he might have gone through and explained some of the reasons behind suggested recommendations.

"But the Minister who just took his seat seemed not to be abreast of all this. Government has to accept its failures to deal with the transportation problems to date.

"Over the years, there has not been a single voice or a single body to co-ordinate transport in this country despite our calls to recognise the fact that this was needed.

"We do need a body that will encompass all the transportation needs of this country.'' He said taxi operators had voiced concerns that the Year 2000 Transportation Report suggested special buses should be used for sightseers.

And Mr. Lister claimed some statistics were needed on how many accidents were caused by drivers with poor eyesight -- to explain Government's call for extra eye tests.

The Shadow Minister also called for better explanations of the roles TCD officers would play to help Police.

"Where will they be functioning?'' he asked. "Will they be ticketing speeders? "Will they be pulling people over for these kinds of offences? That is beyond their bounds yet I do not have any indication from Government about what their roles will be.'' On accidents, he said joggers and walkers should be made to wear reflective gear after dark in a bid to save lives.

And the Sandys North MP warned Government to ensure any new ferries introduced were big enough to carry large loads of passengers.

"One of the reports suggests we need to be looking at faster ferries,'' he said.

"Here, I have two grounds for concern. Firstly, we need to ensure there is adequate parking provision for commuters catching ferries.

"Secondly, we must think about the actual size of the new ferries. As one who uses the ferries regularly, I recognise that they can get full depending on the cruise ship season and other variables.

"But I've heard we may be looking at a ferry with a capacity of only 150 people and surely that's not the way to go.'' Mr. Lister also claimed one of the Island's regular cruise ships should be rescheduled to arrive on a Friday and leave on Monday, to ease pressure on traffic.

He added: "The report says the block arrivals between Tuesdays and Thursdays put too much of a strain on our transport infrastructure.'' After the lunchtime interval Mr. Lister continued with the Opposition's response to the Transport 2000 report.

He said he was concerned about the fact that there was no mention of the Transport Control Department and also expressed his concern at the thriving second-hand car market.

"That's one area that's had an impact on the number of cars on our roads,'' he said.

"A lot of the increase can be contributed by the faster circulation of second-hand cars.'' He also blasted the Government over its handling of the bus service.

"This report was completed in October 1997 and I'm assuming it was prepared after the arrival of new buses at the end of 1996,'' he said.

"There is great concern in Bermuda over the amount of buses that were being serviced -- 50 percent of buses were off the road being serviced at any one time and we have to address this.'' He finished by claiming that transport could benefit other groups such as visitors but added that Bermudians should come first.

"Put Bermudians first and if the services are there for Bermudians that will naturally benefit our tourism industry,'' he said.

Former Transport Minister Wayne Furbert then took to the floor, claiming that the plan was the product of a progressive, forward thinking and dynamic new Government.

And he continually scored points against Opposition members who heckled him.

When Opposition members derided the possible introduction of speed detection cameras, calling out: "More laws, just more laws and restrictions,'' Mr.

Furbert countered.

"We haven't heard the Opposition say what they plan to do,'' he said.

"At least the Government is coming up with ideas.'' When the PLP's Walter Roberts argued that the report was the work of civil servants and advisors, rather than the brainchild of Government MPs, Mr.

Furbert pounced.

"If that's what they think they are lost,'' he said.

"If they think they can just rely on civil servants to come up with all the ideas then I feel sorry for them and I feel sorry for this country.'' "We have already put things in place that will improve the transport system of Bermuda and I have heard nothing from the other side that was enlightening because the vision is not there.

"The report recognises that we have a transport problem but we are not unique. There isn't any country in the world that can say it doesn't have a transport problem.

"I was in Malaysia last year and if you think we've got a problem you should go there.

"I think the only person that's managed to solve it is Mickey Mouse at Disney World.'' Mr. Furbert went on to highlight the fact that there were peak periods when the roads were packed but other periods of quiet.

And he claimed that many people had become spoilt, preferring to take a car on even the smallest journeys.

He argued that learner drivers should be given a graduated licence and a points system for offenders would also encourage safer driving habits.

"We are talking about changes in behaviour because in the past everyone had to be locked up and we don't want to have these punitive sentences. We have to make people more responsible for their own actions.

Walter Roberts (PLP) said Government transportation policies were nothing more than PLP ideas.

He said many of the issues in a new transportation study were simply ideas that the PLP had given to the UBP years ago.

Mr. Roberts was speaking after the presentation of the paper, Strategies to Improve Transportation Mobility, Road Safety and Vehicle Emissions as Bermuda Enters the 21st Century.

He said there should be correlation between in scheduling between the bus and ferry services, so that people can take advantage of a good service that would ultimately encourage them away from private cars.

He added that the fares should also be integrated so passengers can travel on more than one type of transport, with one ticket or pass.

And for the development of a fully-integrated system, he called for better utilisation of the taxi service, with the possibility of drivers being able to charge lower fares during the winter time.

"There is good money to be made between May and November, but they scramble a bit during the rest of the year,'' he said.

There was a need to get people out of their cars, he said, in calling for the abolishing of a law which prohibited people from sharing their cars with other drivers.

In addition, he added, Bermudians were suffering on the roads because of ex-patriate staff working for exempt companies, who often could afford to buy cars, and so put more strain on the transport system.

Tourism Minister David Dodwell rejected calls that the transportation strategy was nothing more than a pre-election strategy, as the project had been on-going for some time.

He said the issue of encouraging people away from cars was difficult, as people had come to expect to be able to use their vehicles to go where and when they wanted. He agreed that integration of the transport system was important, adding that there could be opportunities for private sector competition within the bus and ferry services.

"Competition forces better services and prices, and ultimately the customer is better off.'' There was a possibility of extra ferry stops, faster ferries from Dockyard to Hamilton and a five-day service from St. George's to the capital.

"We are looking at faster ferries not smaller ones, to improve travel times and run more frequently,'' he said.

For people using buses, taxis and ferries, a single ticket or pass which went down in value each time it was used, could be introduced, he said.

"We are trying to make sure we are focusing on the customer.'' House coverage continues in Monday's paper Erwin Adderley Dennis Lister