There was no real need for me to drive. But my options, based on the public transport services in Bristol are limited. A bus journey cost close to a fiver (one-way), takes ages and teh bus is usually fiflthy. And there was no train / tuve / tram option, but if there were, I can guarntee it would cost more.
Public transport in Bristol could be so much better. There has been talk for years about bringing back trams, but all thet really needs to happen is gto open up the train lines again. The infrastructure is already there. Brunel did a fanatastic jub, and society today just ignores this. Virtually every hamlet around the city has an old train station - Redland, Clifton, Montpellier, Severn Beach, Ashley Down. And most of the old platforms are still there and beautiful.
- Introduce a congestion charge, approx £8. I would be happy to cycle, get the bus / train of price was reasonable, but there is no deterrant to me driving so I often do
- Add a subsidy to coucil tax, say £100 - £200
- Use money from above to subsidise bus / train service.
- A £2 day rider ticket should enable all residents and visitors to travel anywhere around the city - look at the New York subway, Paris metro, both are a zillion times better than anything in the UK
- Residents should be able to purchase a £500 annual public transport pass.
- There should be a bus or train available within a 10 minute walk and 10 minute wait from anywhere in the city.
Hi T
ReplyDeleteI see your point but I think you should do research and quote actual figures for the bus fare as saying about a fiver for a single trip is a big exaggeration. I know this and I don't use buses that often - I believe that the fare would be around £2.50. Also, public transport is already subsidised by the government so an extra £100-£200 (are you meaning per year)?? would not go down well. I already pay £89 per month for CT which is way too much already!!
Nicola Sluggett
I think you might be onto something with your congestion charge theory. A congestion charge would get more people using public transport thus increasing the amount of money available for reinvestment and development of the transport system. This in turn would hopefully have a snowball effect, the improvements attracting more people to use it. London is a prime example of how a city can benefit from a congestion charge so, maybe Bristol could too.
ReplyDeleteBut I’m not a fan of your raising council tax idea, as that’s already high enough.
Phil Sluggett