to Fran Postlethwaite of Better Buses National

Dear Fran

Bus/business lane to more effectively reward instead of enraging our precious car commuters

I was hoping to attend on Monday but my wife, who must be obeyed, wanted to no longer delay our departure to daughter and grandchildren for our weekly help with child care yesterday.

This is a brilliant petition.  However, I remain of the opinion that only by being more radical in our suggestions will we then get, not everything but, something.  I feel that public ownership and control will help but is not strong enough because it did not work last time.  In the W Midlands, there is control over the socially necessary routes with maximum fare of £2 and £4.50 for unlimited daily travel.  My suggestion:

1. Such is our fatal addiction to finite fossil fuels, as a rough rule of thumb, even with more renewables coming on stream, we still have to regard £1 in price = 1 lb in weight of GHG emissions.
2. Vast quantities of steel and concrete are used in constructing tramways ("buses on rails", says UK tram promotion group).  Both are highly energy intensive and that means high GHG emissions.  Bad news for climate!
3. Use that money to upgrade bus provision, as is in our petition.  BUT MUCH MORE IS NEEDED:
4. Bring in charging on radial routes into urban centres for all vehicles that are not essential for work/business but are used, in particular, for commuting, shopping when those drivers should be using bus, train, tram.
5. Essential users must register to avoid the charge.
6. Financial inducements MUST be used to reward car commuters and shoppers who leave their cars at home and use bus, train, tram.  Therefore, FFPT - Fare-Free Public Transport for all and not just my age group is essential.
7. To accompany the above, big campaign by the authorities to make it as socially undesirable to take the car into town/city centres as it is to smoke in public places.  But the rewards must be emphasised.

What do you think, Fran?

Best wishes