Tony Raven said:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6965043.stm
Public transport 'poorly linked'
Public transport has too many weak links making it difficult to switch from
one mode to another, a report by an environmental group has found.
Travellers polled for a Transport 2000 survey said buses did not connect
with train times and stations had insecure cycle parking and poorly-lit
footpaths.
The poll also showed only 29% thought bus timetables were clear and
accurate.
The Department for Transport said it was working constantly to improve the
integration of the transport network.
Better buses
A spokesman for the department said plans included improving access to
railway stations, better integration with bus services and improved parking
facilities.
He said £150m is to be invested into refurbishing and modernising 150 mid-
sized stations, with a further £370m being spent on the Access for All
station programme.
The draft Local Transport Bill proposes greater powers for local
authorities to improve the quality of local bus services, he added.
Transport 2000 said the government had taken steps in the right direction
but there was still some way to go.
Tara Melton, from the group, said: "Rail passengers need real travel
choices. All stations should have good bus links, decent footpaths and
secure cycle parking and must be accessible to all."
The survey found 60% of respondents said that they would not feel safe
leaving their bike at a train station and 62% said there was not a safe
cycle route to the station.
Only 36% felt paths to their station were safe, well-lit and free of
obstacles, Transport 2000 said.
Ms Melton added: "What our survey shows is that this clearly is not the
case for many rural and urban stations, leaving many people with no choice
but to drive to the station."
Dependent
Meanwhile, in a separate survey almost three-quarters of people questioned
said they thought there was too much reliance on the car in the UK.
Transport services company Trueform Group found that despite this, more
than half (56%) of adults in the survey drive their car every day,
Drivers in Northern Ireland seemed most dependent with 64% driving daily,
followed closely by the West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside. In
contrast, 26% of Londoners polled use their cars every day.
Trueform technical director Jonathan Morley said investment in rail, bus
and other forms of public transport meant there was a viable alternative to
car travel.
"The challenge now is encouraging them to make the switch and leave their
vehicles at home," he said.
--
Tony
" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell
Passengers` frustration at `weakest link` train stations
Press release under embargo until 00.01 on Monday, 27 August 2007
Rail passengers cite buses that don't connect with train times,
insecure cycle parking and poorly-lit footpaths as barriers to using
their local train stations.
These are the results found in the 'Weakest Link' [1] survey launched
by Transport 2000 [2] to find the best and worst train stations to
travel to in England and Wales.
The government has made steps in the right direction, with station
'Access for All' funding and a commitment in the Rail White Paper to
introduce Station Travel Plans and a task force to improve cycle
provisions at stations. Transport 2000 welcomes these decisions.
However, Tara Melton of Transport 2000 says: "Rail passengers need
real travel choices. All stations should have good bus links, decent
footpaths and secure cycle parking and must be accessible to all. What
our survey shows is that this clearly is not the case for many rural
and urban stations, leaving many people with no choice but to drive to
the station".
National Survey results
The results of the survey [3] throughout the UK and Wales found that:
- Only 29% of respondents thought that bus timetables at their station
were clear and accurate. Only 12% of respondents thought that the bus
timetables generally connected with the train timetable.
Example: Sandal and Agbrigg Station in West Yorkshire. One respondent
explained that bus services have been cut by 50% in the last year and
the car park is full to capacity resulting in people driving to
Wakefield Station instead.
- A staggering 60% of respondents said that they would not feel safe
leaving their bike at the station.
Example: Manor Park Station in London. One respondent reported that
bicycles are regularly stolen.
- Sixty-two percent of respondents said that there was not a safe
cycle route to the station.
Example: Regular passengers of both Hitchin Station in Hertfordshire
and Kemble Station near Cirencester raised unsafe cycle routes as
dangerous obstacles to using the station.
- Only 36% of respondents felt that the paths to their station were
safe, well-lit and free of obstacles.
Example: Peckham Rye Station in London. All three entrances are poorly-
lit and surrounded on each side by tall buildings, making many users
feel vulnerable.
- Sixty-one percent of respondents said that the town centre and
nearby facilities were not well signposted from their station entrance/
exit.
Example: Respondents highlighted Bristol and Newport; both of these
stations are poorly-signposted and physically and psychologically
disconnected from the main town.
Transport 2000 also sent a number of regional press releases about
this survey. See regional press releases here.
Notes to editors
[1] The 'Weakest Link' survey respondents included a mixture of
commuters and occasional users throughout England and Wales.
Respondents were asked to comment on their personal experiences of
their journey to local train stations, whether by foot, cycle, bus or
wheelchair.
[2] Transport 2000 is an independent campaigning and research body
that represents the key transport interests of around 40 environmental
groups, transport organisations and transport unions. We bring
together people who seek to reduce the environmental and social
effects of transport through encouraging less use of cars, lorries and
planes and more use of rail, buses, trams, cycling and walking.
We believe the following elements are important if stations are to
become less car-dependent:
- Clear signage from the town centre and roads showing where the
station is (preferably with a map for pedestrians)
- Clear signage outside the station, clearly indicating the presence
of a railway station
- Communication between local bus operators and rail companies with
the aim of providing bus services that broadly meet the trains
- Information about the bus timetable and train timetable in a clear
and obvious location
- Walking, buggy and wheelchair access to the station that is clear
from clutter such as overgrown hedges, that is well-lit and feels safe
at night, and with safe pedestrian crossing facilities
- Cycling access to the station that is well-signposted and has a
reduced speed limit of 30mph; ideally this should take the form of a
dedicated cycle lane leading directly into the station
- Cycle parking at the station that is secure, overlooked by staff and
CCTV, and preferably covered
- Taxi ranks that are clearly signed, or a list of taxi numbers in the
station building with a working public phone
[3] 184 stations were nominated across the country; this is
approximately 7% of all stations.
