9th December 2023
Increasing public transport
“Bus services have been cut by more than 80% in the past 15 years in some parts of England and Wales in a “silent war” on users, research has found. Outside London, bus services plummeted by more than 60% in 80 local authority areas, the study added. The University of Leeds, in conjunction with the charity Friends of the Earth, examined timetables across England and Wales since 2008. It found urban and rural services had decreased by 48% and 52% respectively – with some localities faring worse than others.” (1) (1) https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/nov/28/bus-services-cut-by-more-than-80-perent-in-parts-of-england-and-wales-since-2008-finds-study?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
This year the TUC produced a report entitled ‘Public transport fit for the climate emergency’ which “sets out a plan for the investment in public transport throughout England and Wales that has long been needed. From town and cities, to villages and rural communities, this plan would mean more services, new routes, cheaper fares and modern fleets of low emission vehicles. This radical transformation must be funded by central government and delivered by local and regional transport authorities. And we should all get a say on the transport needs where we live and how this investment is allocated. Passengers, local communities, and transport workers should all be consulted on public transport improvement plans where they live and work.
“The investment proposed by this report would achieve the transition to low-carbon transport needed to honour our climate action agreements with the rest of the world. It would generate green and sustainable economic growth in regions across England and Wales. And it would directly create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the transport sector, plus many more in construction and manufacturing supply chains.
“As well as cheaper, more extensive and reliable buses, trams and trains, we would have cleaner air to breath. And the roads would be less congested for all road users.” (2) https://www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/public-transport-fit-climate-emergency
The Green Tau 