Public Transport in Rural Areas (Public Transport in general)

Member Name: markbuk

Product:	Public Transport in general
Date:	02/01/02 (183 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: Expensive, Almost non-existent in some areas, Unreliable

Public Transport

I've read many opinions, both here on DooYoo, and elsewhere with regard to the use of cars and public transport. I fully advocate most schemes and motives to reduce the use of the motor car in our daily lives. But it seems obvious when reading most of these opinions, that the majority of writers live in urban areas and do not really understand just how unavoidably dependant some folk are on the motor car.

I live in a rural area - not one I would describe as "very rural", but rural nonetheless. The nearest village is two miles; the nearest town 15 miles away. There is a bus service that travels to town and back, but it is infrequent. It is operated by a private company and receives no state subsidy, either at local or central level. When they inquired about one, they were turned down.

The managing director of the operator has publicly explained that if they were to provide a more regular service, they would have to increase charges immeasurably so that the heavily used journeys subsidised the quieter ones. Already, a round trip to town and back (30 miles maximum) will set you back the best part of £5 - a four mile one-way ticket to the next village costs £0.80p. The company has slipped into liquidation twice in the past 10 years or so.

I work in the next town over. It is a round trip, by car, of 52 miles. If I were to attempt this journey by other method than car it would involve the following:

A walk of one mile to the nearest bus stop.

A 15 Mile bus trip.

A 15 mile train ride.

A one mile walk from the station to my office.


Double that to include the journey back home.


With things the way they are, I would have to leave home at 5am to get to work for 8am. Thats 3 hours to cover a journey that takes me 30-45 minutes by car. I wouldn't arrive home until 8pm.

We are often told that taxation will have to increase to provide the
public transport solutions of the future. sadly, I fear that folk in the rual areas of the UK will also suffer an increased tax burden to fund this. While most of us would have no objection to a certain degree,we already pay a considerable amount in Council Tax each year. Admittedly, we probably pay less than most urban dwellers, but those folk also get a high level of public services.

Where I live, I pay the same rate of Council Tax as I would pay if I lived in a similarly valued property in town. But where we live we have no street lighting, no pavements, a road drainage system that is cleaned once per year but which blocks the first time we have a heavy rainfall, no sewarage system (admittedly more likely a water supplier issue), an erractic and disgraceful refuse service. Our roads are amongst the last to be gritted in winter, and usually after at least one person has been involved in accident.


Please don't get me wrong, I really am all for increased public transport and less dependancy on the use of the motor car for all the usual reasons. But please remember that for some people, it really is the only option. Public transport in many rural areas is inadequate and in some areas non-exisitant. Dont punish the people because of this!

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