From Watford Observer

Tories call for better transport links in town

CONSERVATIVES Steven Norris and Ali Miraj have called for better
transport links in Watford which would give commuters a real option of
leaving their cars at home.

Steven Norris, the former transport minster and Conservative mayoral
candidate for London last year, addressed the Watford Chamber of
Commerce last Thursday on the issue of transport in the 21st Century.

He spoke to an audience of more than 80 representatives from local
businesses at Moor Park Mansion about how new approaches are needed to
make commuters drive their cars less.

He emphasised that anti-car policies are a waste of time and behaviour
has to be changed through long-term investment in the transport
infrastructure. When asked about his views on easing congestion in
Watford, he pointed out that half of all car journeys are under a mile
long.

He suggested better use of cycle lanes where they are integrated with
other forms of transport, which would encourage people to switch from
their cars.

Ali Miraj, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Watford, echoed
his views, saying he would also like to see a more integrated transport
system in Watford, where commuters returning from London would have a
bus waiting to pick them up to complete their journey.

He welcomed the abolition of the green route northbound on St Albans
Road to the traffic lights by Homebase, as it will ease congestion on a
key route out of the town centre - but said more needs to be done solve
rush-hour gridlock in Watford.

He said: "There are real issues about transport and parking in the
town, with traffic at peak times being horrendous. We desperately need
to improve our transport infrastructure.

"If elected I will encourage the local council, in conjunction with all
relevant parties, to produce a comprehensive policy to manage traffic
flow in the town. I will also continue to pressure to see that the
Croxley Rail link is finally delivered, which will provide benefits to
the town."


4:29pm Monday 7th March 2005
............................................
John Burke
WRUG

In message . com,
burkey writes
He suggested better use of cycle lanes where they are integrated with
other forms of transport, which would encourage people to switch from
their cars.
Is he also prepared to repay some of the VED and the two taxes on fuel,
this might help a bit. Once the average punter has paid why on earth
should they change their motoring habits?
--
Clive.

Clive Coleman wrote:
In message . com,
burkey writes
He suggested better use of cycle lanes where they are integrated with
other forms of transport, which would encourage people to switch from
their cars.
Is he also prepared to repay some of the VED and the two taxes on
fuel, this might help a bit. Once the average punter has paid why
on earth should they change their motoring habits?

Why not give up motoring, especially in large towns and cities?

On Wed, 9 Mar 2005 17:48:25 +0000 (UTC), "Brimstone"
wrote:

Why not give up motoring, especially in large towns and cities?

Because, with the possible exception of a lot of (but not all of)
London, public transport is woefully inadequate.

If I lived in London I think I'd be most unlikely to own a car.

Neil

--
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
When replying please use neil at the above domain
'wensleydale' is a spam trap and is not read.

Neil Williams wrote:
On Wed, 9 Mar 2005 17:48:25 +0000 (UTC), "Brimstone"
wrote:

Why not give up motoring, especially in large towns and cities?

Because, with the possible exception of a lot of (but not all of)
London, public transport is woefully inadequate.

If I lived in London I think I'd be most unlikely to own a car.


If you sig is accurate with regard to where you live then on those occasions
when I've visited MK by PT I've always found it perfectly adequate.

On Wed, 9 Mar 2005 20:33:07 +0000 (UTC), "Brimstone"
wrote:

If you sig is accurate with regard to where you live then on those occasions
when I've visited MK by PT I've always found it perfectly adequate.

It is adequate only if...

1) You travel during the day. The evening services are much more
limited, though better than they used to be. When I first moved here,
there were *no* buses after about 9pm, except on one route, and
services were hourly at best. Now, some routes are half-hourly and
have later finishes (my last bus back from the centre is now an
entirely reasonable 2325), but the reliability and punctuality is
****-poor, mainly due to the Council's specification of zero-time
turnarounds on tendered services to cut costs.

2) You wish to make a simple return journey to Central Milton Keynes
from wherever you are located (or from Central Milton Keynes to
somewhere else). Employment, OTOH, is somewhat distributed and
doesn't necessarily fit this pattern.

3) You want to do another journey, and you have unlimited time.
Bletchley to Newport Pagnell by car is possible in well under half an
hour. By bus it's exactly an hour. This is on the good side, as it
doesn't involve changing, and there is no co-ordination of routes so
connections are often poor.

Of course, there are the trains, but these are only any good if you're
travelling between the centre, Bletchley and Wolverton.

Also bear in mind that my experience of the taxi service is that it is
expensive and inconvenient. (Milton Keynes is not the sort of place,
by its design, where you can walk to a main road and hail a cab, and
when you phone it's anyone's guess as to what "5 minutes" means).

If you want to get out of MK for any reason, it gets worse. Off the
route of the United Counties X5, the VT99 Rail Link to Luton and the
West Coast Main Line, regional public transport is as good as
non-existent, and where it does exist it is infrequent and usually
does not operate in the evening.

I didn't initially buy a car on moving to MK, as I wanted to see if
I'd be happy using a combination of PT and bike for most journeys, as
I broadly was in Manchester (mainly because of its more extensive rail
network - buses alone are too slow for big city transport, and the
North West has a very dense local rail network compared with much of
the country). I wasn't, and soon splashed out.

I *do* use the buses for what they're good at - daytime journeys to
and from the centre. That's about all.

Neil

--
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
When replying please use neil at the above domain
'wensleydale' is a spam trap and is not read.

"Clive Coleman" wrote in message
...
Is he also prepared to repay some of the VED and the two taxes on fuel,
this might help a bit. Once the average punter has paid why on earth
should they change their motoring habits?

Because others methods are faster for their journey?

In message , David Splett
writes
Is he also prepared to repay some of the VED and the two taxes on fuel,
this might help a bit. Once the average punter has paid why on earth
should they change their motoring habits?

Because others methods are faster for their journey?
Not in my neck of the woods squire.
--
Clive.

"Clive Coleman" wrote in message
...
In message , David Splett
writes
Is he also prepared to repay some of the VED and the two taxes on fuel,
this might help a bit. Once the average punter has paid why on earth
should they change their motoring habits?

Because others methods are faster for their journey?
Not in my neck of the woods squire.

But you don't live in London do you Clive? Just in case you hadn't noticed,
this group is dedicated to discussion about transport in that fair(?) city.
It's an accepted fact that out in the sticks where you live anything other
than a car is outside most people's comprehension.

Tories call for better transports links???? Surely the "market" will
provide? And don't worry about society,,,"It doesn't exist...."