Transport - a new model

People want public transport in rural areas but, especially in the deeper areas, a new model is required. There’s nothing to suggest that communities can be served more viably by a style of bus service provision now - or in the near future - that is essentially the same as the one that has failed in these areas in the past. Investment in comfortable, reliable demand responsive forms of transport seems a better way forward, more capable of meeting the need.

Transport shapes and creates ambience in rural areas. What you see everywhere now is too much traffic dashing around at inappropriately fast speed. The countryside can be industrious and vital without having to double as a racing track or an inconvenient obstacle in the way of fast, private commuter journeys to and from urban areas. Areas to think about to change this: road user priorities; appropriate speed limits; road layout and width; severer penalties.

People are starting to look ahead at how road pricing might impact on rural areas (see, for example, CRC). Many see it as the great, unconscionable threat of our times but surely there are opportunities as well. The rural community has a good few years to look at shaping rural road pricing schemes to help ensure that they’ll be fair to and meet the needs of rural people. The least constructive approach would be to carp and wait for central government to drop last-minute, half-baked scheme rules on rural areas which are going to satisfy nobody and infuriate everyone.

Stephen Roots