Hello Supporter

We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Simon Norton last month, a long-time friend of Campaign for Better Transport. As well as being a world-class Cambridge mathematician, Simon was a passionate and principled transport campaigner. His involvement with Campaign for Better Transport went back 30 years, but his particular passion was for buses, believing buses “should be one of the most important political issues”. He will be sadly missed, but we hope our continuing work to push buses up the political agenda will be a fitting tribute to him. You can read more about Simon and his transport campaigning in our blog.

Chris

Future of Mobility

The Government has today published its Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy. Transport is changing and we think the Government is right to look at removing the barriers that hold back our transport system from becoming more sustainable. Whether it’s new technology, or ways to make travelling by bus more attractive, we need to make moving around our towns and cities easier, cheaper, cleaner and more reliable. We look forward to working with the Government and communities to ensure that sustainable transport and new technology aren't hindered by outdated regulation.

Buses and loneliness

Our chief executive was interviewed for a recent BBC Radio Four programme called Am I too old to drive?. Older people continue to drive for a multitude of reasons, but for many, especially in rural areas, one reason is the lack of alternatives. Far too many places have lost their buses, removing whole communities from the public transport network. Rural areas are often the worst affected; seen as too sparsely populated, or too widely spread out for public transport to work. Our recent report, The future of rural bus services in the UK, challenged this perception. Of course it’s not just older people who are affected by loneliness and isolation when there is no public transport, young people and those on low incomes, who can’t drive or can’t afford to run a car, also suffer in a society built around cars. The Government has a duty to provide the investment and infrastructure needed to ensure public transport plays a key role in helping end loneliness and isolation, not just for older people, but for everyone.

Better bus facilities on major roads

We have been working with Transport Focus on a project for Highways England, looking at the potential to improve bus facilities on the Strategic Road Network. The project focussed on two locations; the area around the M32 junction with the A4174 north of Bristol, and the A27 between Falmer and Polegate in East Sussex.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your views. The three main areas which people felt needed to be improved were; the introduction and enforcement of bus priority measures to beat congestion and deliver a reliable service; well located and maintained bus stops with safe access and crossing points; and better integration with other transport choices, including live travel information at bus stops and park and ride services where appropriate.

Our findings are now with Highways England, and we hope to see improvements for bus passengers in the near future.

More ultra low emission buses on the way

Last  month the Department for Transport awarded £48 million to help local authorities and councils buy more ultra low emission vehicles. We think ultra low emission buses are crucial in tackling air pollution and helping individuals and communities stay connected, and the Government should invest in ensuring new, green buses are deployed as quickly as possible. But our struggling bus network needs more than this. We need a national bus investment strategy to support and strengthen services across the country, and a new approach to rural transport that ensures those communities suffering from transport poverty and isolation are reconnected.