Public transport
Public transport is important both for social equity and the environment. Those of us who live in cities might take it for granted but for many places the quality of public transport is poor and getting worse. This is crucial to the millions who don’t have access to a car and for whom public transport is a lifeline, enabling access to jobs, shops, services and friends. And yet since buses were deregulated in 1987, ridership outside London has declined by 37%. In London by contrast where buses remain in public ownership usage has risen by a third over the same period.
Public transport is important both for social equity and the environment. Those of us who live in cities might take it for granted but for many places the quality of public transport is poor and getting worse. This is crucial to the millions who don’t have access to a car and for whom public transport is a lifeline, enabling access to jobs, shops, services and friends. And yet since buses were deregulated in 1987, ridership outside London has declined by 37%. In London by contrast where buses remain in public ownership usage has risen by a third over the same period.
The British Travel Survey shows that pre- Covid only 6% of trips and 5% of kilometres travelled were by bus – 62% lower than it was in 1950. There were, however, some positives. Public transport use in London (pre-Covid) was growing for both buses and the tube. Light rail and tram use was growing elsewhere in the country, and the use of trains was also increasing.
All this has changed in 2020 and the extent to which travel pattern will return to these pre-covid levels remains unclear. However, on the assumption that it will never be possible to do everything within 10 or 15 minutes of home, it is important that public transport provides an alternative to the car.
This raises wider political issues about the way that public transport is controlled. Rail services are once more under public control and most of the tram systems built in recent years are in public ownership. Places like Greater Manchester are also lobbying to take back control of buses.
Locally, the issues relate to the location of public transport stops and the frequency of services. Generally planners consider that every home should be within 400m (5 minutes) of a bus stop or 800m (10 minutes) of a tram stop. Most existing towns and cities achieve this. The problems come in urban extensions and new settlements which are still being built without adequate public transport links.
What you can do
Communities
Encourage people to use the bus! In areas with poor public transport links and particularly new development, lobby for the provision of a service.
Developers and designers
Don’t build unless all the property you are planning has access to a bus stop or other public transport service, unless you are prepared to invest in the provision of new services and routes. This should be done for a sufficient period of time to ensure that the service can become established.
Councils
Consider public transport accessibility as a central part of the land allocation process in the local plan. Set a public transport accessibility standard and insist that developers provide contributions to ensure that this is met. Lobby regionally to bring public transport back under public control.
Case study
Movement: Nottingham (The Meadows)
Nottingham is becoming known as a city with sustainability at its heart, and a key component of this is the council’s commitment to developing and delivering excellent public transport connections. The extensions of the tram lines and the strengthening of the bus network support this.
Nottingham has set very stringent carbon reduction emissions targets and sees transport as a key aspect of this. Supporting and strengthening public transport to be a viable and attractive option for its residents continues to be a key driver in their sustainability and carbon reduction commitments.
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