Lib Dem Plans To Transform Travel (West Worcestershire Liberal Democrats)

West Worcestershire Liberal Democrats <contact.us@westworcslibdems.org.uk>

Lib Dem Plans To Transform Travel

June 4, 2008 9:28 AM

TRAVEL and transport will improve in Worcestershire if new Liberal Democrat transport policies are put into operation, claims local Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Richard Burt.

The policies were launched on 3rd June by Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg. The proposals include improving bus services by putting them under the control of local councils where bus companies have failed to provide improvements themselves; improving local rail services; introducing strong environmental criteria for new roads and building a high speed rail network to cut journey times for longer distance travel.

"There are radical policies which will help address some of the transport problems in Worcestershire," said Richard Burt.

"Bus privatisation has fuelled a constant struggle to maintain services, often leading to fewer buses, longer travel times and rural isolation for increasing numbers who do not drive or cannot afford to travel by car.

"Our plans to invest in high speed railways would also guarantee the early funding of double tracking for the Cotswold Line which is so desperately needed to tempt more people out of their cars to commute by rail.

"Our long term aim is to scrap VED and reduce fuel duty, replacing it with motorway and trunk road pricing - at no additional cost to the average motorist and protecting essential rural users.

"Transport is now high on people's lists of concerns. Despite lots of talk by Labour, public transport is expensive and plagued by problems of decades of failure to invest in it by both Labour and Conservative governments.

"With the cost of driving shooting up, bus and rail services in desperately need a boost. Our proposals will help to create a modern local transport system fit for the decades to come, rather than for decades ago.

"The policy proposals will be debated at our conference in September and before then, members in West Worcestershire will be discussing them at our regular meetings. We are looking forward to a good debate."