From Richard Wilson
Ashley Oliver asserts two “unassailable facts” concerning public transport initiatives
(Letters, 8 August, p 51): they have only a local impact and they
affect far too small a percentage of the population. He is wrong on both
counts.
Proper investment in relatively clean, quiet and comfortable public transport
will free our towns and cities, and make them much more pleasant to live and
work in.
To claim that removing car traffic from town just moves the problem is
patently wrong. At worst, there is no change in out-of-town traffic, but there
is obviously a reduction in urban traffic as a consequence of more people
leaving their cars for public transport. At best, the effect gains momentum as
more fare income results in improvements in public transport, and as fewer
people use their cars because public transport provides a better service.
As for his second point, surely any improvement is better than none? We
simply do not know how many people will be affected by the recently announced
initiatives. The government must work with public transport bodies to entice
more people, especially commuters, out of their cars when journeys can be made
more quickly, cheaply and with less environmental impact by public
transport.
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richwil@btinternet.com
