Government Realises People Enjoy Driving
Report looks at new directions to take transport policy
Some congestion, yesterday
The Department for Transport is looking for new ways of getting young people out of their cars and thinks that timing is everything.
In the new study, which could also be called ‘stating the bleeding obvious’, researchers found that young people’s travel changes, like moving to a new educational institution, into training or work, and starting to use new sports and leisure venues, were the ‘trigger points’ at which they could be tempted onto a bus.
The enlightening research, which also looked at people older than 50, also came up with the breakthrough that is: ‘Driving itself was a source of enjoyment for some.’
It also recognises that ‘whilst it is likely to be harder to persuade car ‘enthusiasts’ to stop using cars than those who were neutral or sceptical about cars’.
The Government hopes to use the research to find ‘new directions’ in which to take transport policy in the future.
Transport Minister Rosie Winterton said: ‘Offering alternatives to the car at key points in young people's lives could play an important part in our efforts to encourage them onto public transport at an early stage, getting people into the habit for life.
‘It also reinforces the importance of legislation like the Local Transport Bill, which will help local authorities address some of older and younger people's key concerns about transport, such as reliability and frequency of services.
‘I am committed to taking the needs of a wide variety of social groups into account when deciding transport policy. This is the only way we can effectively move towards a sustainable transport system that works for everyone.’
Find out more here
My point is why not work on improving public transport, rather than just regulating car use to the point where it's as a crap as getting the bus...
End of!
And i'm not sure it's that a lot of people like driving, probably more likely that they don't like the missery which is public transport in this country.
If public transport was clean, efficient, convenient, reliable, reasonably priced and easy to use people might be a bit more interested. On the other hand if you have got a car already, you will probably use it no matter how good public transport is.
To be fair they will never ban cars, they make far too much cash from them - petrol tax, petrol duty, road tax, VAT on consumables such as tyres, oil, polish, wax, sponges, air freshners, then congestion charges, speeding fines, the list goes on.
If you add up the VAT and Tax on EVERY purchase you make in relation to your car, just how much are you really giving the government? im sure its a not inconsiderable amount of cash
It's okay cause the train and bus companies will drive them back to cars.
My wife wanted to go to a Girlfriends party in Leominster on Saturday, and come back Sunday.
Now she has Chronic Fatigue so thought that it would be better to sit on a train than drive 4 hours on her own from Southport, merseyside.
After much research I worked out that she could get 3 trains from Southport to Liverpool, change station across liverpool, Then to Crewe, and Change for a Cardiff Train.
I decided that I could drive to crew in about 1 1/4 hours and then she could get the train to Cardiff and get off at Leominster. That way I could carry her bag to the Train for her and she'd arrive refreshed and enjoy her party.
Anyway we get to crewe and she gets on the train, to find that at Shewbury she has to get off and walk to a coach which takes her to craven arms, and then back on a train. I phone up some Indian based call centre where I have to apologise for my impatience to the guy on the phone who clearly has not been on arriva trains wales, but eventually we find out that the train booked on Sunday is NOT on, it's either 2 hours earlier than planned and only one change, or it's 2 hours later and 2 changes. Long and short of it is that if I had driven i'd have spent perhaps 6 hours travelling in 2 days, and she spent 12 hours travelling. Encourage everyone to take public transport by making it quick and cheap and pleasant.
If I were to get the bus into work it would take me well over an hour and then I'd have to walk from town to work and most probably arrive late where instead I can use my car, takes me 45 minutes at a leisurely speed in comfort and arriving at work in time for a chill out before starting work.
I wonder why I use my car?
This government is an utter talent vacuum; a bunch of t
rs.If they want me to use the train more frequently, drop the price. I know you can get deals and discounts but the basic price is too high and put more carriages on during rush hour, it's not rocket science.
If they want me to use the bus, give them air-con and give me enough leg room so people over 5'10 can sit down.
Just two years ago 'gas guzzler' was a term rarely used around here, but now the word has seeped into the vocabulary of many and it's almost an acceptable term.
Double speak and propoganda at it's best.
Dave
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