On 2 October 2010 00:21, Andrew Morgan <zil...@ziltro.com> wrote:
>
> I don't think there's much point worrying about if buses and trains go
> where you want when you want, from what I've seen they never have and never
> will. But for anyone who has to rely on public transport don't forget there
> are plenty of taxis out there and their drivers work all night, and they'll
> take you from wherever you want to wherever you want without any faffing
> about between.
>
>
I beg to disagree. There are other cities and towns with adequate public
transport (among the ones I know,  Brighton, Nottingham & Newcastle) and the
state of public transport in Dorset is simply a consequence of years and
years of under-investment (I'm not talking only about financial investment,
I'm talking about political efforts investment as well). Local politics have
a huge importance on public transport - if the local authorities do not work
with the local transport companies to develop and push for a decent public
transport plan, we have to suffer the consequences of different companies
competing on similar bus routes rather than building a coherent network. It
seems that the local authorities in the area (Poole, Bournemouth,
Christchurch, Dorset) haven't been willing to push much for better public
transport and as a result, many residents rule out public transport as
viable option. Dorset is a beautiful area but its lack of decent public
transport makes it ill prepared for the future (petrol prices going up, more
and more people unable to afford to run a car, not to mention the new
pollution emission targets). It's a shame.

Cabs are great and I'm glad for them but few people can afford to use them
instead of buses on a regular basis. It costs £6 for a ride from the train
station to where I live in Winton and I can walk the same route in under
half an hour! Cabs are essentially a kind of short-lease personal transport
with chauffeur, they don't have the benefits of public transport (economy of
scale in terms of petrol prices, reduction of CO2 per mile travelled etc).
--
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