Bus use in London is increasing
(Sparkpics)
On the buses
The Railways Bill gave the government more power to decide the
future of the railways. It also gave the regions the chance to
make more decisions on a local level. The Liberal Democrats cautiously
welcomed ‘sensible management solutions’. The Conservatives decried
‘a seriously flawed piece of legislation’. It’s fair to say that
not everyone was happy with it.
All the major parties concentrate on improving public transport,
although they have different ideas about how to do it. However,
none make a reduction in fares a major priority, despite the fact
that in the whole of Europe only Sweden and Denmark have more
expensive public transport. Only the Green Party promise to make
things cheaper.
It is hard to judge the government’s success rate on driving
people to the trains. They have overseen a hefty increase in rail
use – we take over 25% more journeys now than when Labour came
to power – but at the same time we also use cars more.
Labour are spending less on the London Underground, but much
more on national rail services. By 2002/03 investment in trains
was three times higher than in 1995/96. Bus use has rocketed in
London and is starting to stabilise elsewhere. |
