Have Car, Can't Travel : Have Feet, Can
The "snow storms" which have hit the West Midlands, and Worcestershire in particular, in the last couple of days highlight one the core areas of the region's unsustainability : the fact that people's mean travel to work (and other destinations) distances by car are the highest (or amongst the highest) in the country. One reason - probably the main one - for this is that the West Midlands was the last region in the country to encourage a policy of population dispersal from the major urban areas, like Birmingham and its hinterland conurbation. The consequent dispersed pattern of settlement, and associated mobility (travel rather than social !) patterns leads to excessive car dependency. This problem needs to be tackled as a matter of urgency by planners involved in the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy, which is currently subject to public consultation. So, please, let's "walk the talk" for a change, and also put some real investment into the railways.
1 comment:
I agree that planners have a lot to answer for, but I think the issue runs deeper than that. You need to look at housing markets and why some areas - often the ones that are least accessible by public transport - command higher values than others; and why even when perfectly adequate public transport is available, people would rather swan around in 4x4s than demean themselves by getting on a bus.
Having said that, living in Sheffield, which was once Bus City, I found four buses stranded on the hill outside my house last Friday night. Meanwhile the 4x4s were whizzing past. I, of course, was walking.
More investment in railways? Absolutely. But that won't change a culture that identifies wellbeing with the car you drive (and that isn't just a male thing any more).
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