public transport

I haven't read the whole thread so some of this may be a repetiton of other peoples comments!

Firstly public transport is a key part of the UK infrastructure and without it there would actually be anarchy with the roads grinding to a halt with all the additional cars on them!

Fact is that the public transport companies rarely (if ever) manage to run their services without government funding or funding from other parties*. The fees paid by passengers do not cover the costs and they are stuck basically, because if they raise the prices then less people would use it and therefore less money! *(New developments of a reasonable size make a contribution towards public transport provision...usually part of the S106 agreements if I recall correctly.)

If the public transport links offered were reduced then we would end up with even more cars on the road, which no one wants! Bit like in the 60's when Beeching closed a lot of the railways. There was a dramatic modal shift from rail to private cars and many of the roads in Britain are already running over capacity in the peaks so we don't need anymore!

Hence the government / local authorities will do anything to "persuade" people not to have cars and this tax is their way of doing it! If you can run a "green" office, with no car parking, then it's highly likely that they won't be included in this tax when it comes is, and it will, as that office is doing it's part for removing traffic from the roads!

Removing cars from the roads is actually one of the biggest priorities that the government has which is why the increases in road tax etc. Yes it does earn the goverment more money, but they are actually trying to outprice motorists! Also why most of the new housing developments have reduced parking, and sometimes no parking! It's because the developer will be forced to pay a very high amount of money if they want to include parking in their development!

Public transport is reasonably affordable over the long haul, like season tickets etc. I can travel to work on the bus for £10.50 a week (7 days) which is very good in my opinion - not that I do it though! It's just the price for individual journeys seems disproportionately high, £1.90 for one way ticket!


Just my two british pennies!

[timwilky]

My obviously defected brain thinks that taxing businesses that provide staff parking would simply encourage those businesses to relocate out of the city.

I am lucky enough to live in an area where public transport exists but is expensive. (£5 return to my local town centre), no discount/weekly passes etc. I was at one point paying over £40/week for my kids to go on the school bus. It does not run after 11pm. On Sundays the first bus is 10am (how can my wife a nurse start her 7.00am shift at the local hospital 14 miles away by bus).

Then contrast that against my parents. They have been given pensioners bus passes. Only problem their nearest regular bus stop is about 8 miles away. They do have a bus on Tuesdays that passes near to their house about 9am and returns about 6pm.

This is the problem. People making transport policy tend to think public transport is available to all. affordable to all and convenient for all. They therefore try to punish financially those who either cannot use public transport, have not got public transport or the transport does not go where they want to go and as a result are forced to provide their own transport. My parents ended up with having to maintain a car each for themselves plus a land rover for the times when it snows as the local council cannot be bothered to clear the snow outside of the town centre and you cannot drive normal cars in 4ft drifts.