Sunday, May 30, 2004

Fuel Price Increases

Norman Baker - Liberal Democrat shadow environment secretary writes in yesterdays Guardian:

"...no driver welcomes price increases, but isnt this reaction a bit over the top. Since 1974 the cost of motoring has actually dropped by 5%, while its 84% more expensive to go by train and 70% more expensive to take the bus. Yet I don't here plans to blockade bus or train stations. It seems to me that car ownership can too often create a rather cocooned and unhealthy concentrtion on the self to the exclusion of others.....The car driver is not a victim. That mantle actually sits better on the shoulders of the public transport user."

It astounds me the lack of money that go's in to public transport. If we are going to tackle this culture of dependency on the car, alternatives have to be made available, cheap, and usable.
As much as I'd like it you couldn't expect everyone to ride a bike, but at the very least we need to get people using their cars less.

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