“We will simply not succeed in levelling up opportunity for regional and coastal towns unless people can rely on good and reliable transport links to access jobs and opportunity.”
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Train fares are shockingly high:
Some train fares have risen twice as fast as inflation since rail privatisation | The Independent
Although the picture is very confusing:
Rail fare rise cancelled, or just delayed? | Campaign For Better Transport
However, not everyone is lucky enough to even be near a train…
James Blagden writes about a new report from the think tank UK Onward; he leads their Levelling Up research programme:
New dataset reveals for the first time how many jobs are reachable by car and public transport in every small local area in Britain – exposing a shocking transport gap between North and South.
Network Effects – Shocking Transport Gap – Onward
Their report has been widely covered in today’s media:
Including comment from Devon:
North Devon MP Selaine Saxby said the problem was also keenly felt in rural areas in the south due to poor transport links and infrastructure: “We will simply not succeed in levelling up opportunity for regional and coastal towns unless people can rely on good and reliable transport links to access jobs and opportunity.”
Levelling up must prioritise ‘yawning’ transport gap stopping people accessing jobs, Tory MPs say
The North Devon MP has spoken up recently about ‘levelling up’:
Levelling up: What’s it all about? – Vision Group for Sidmouth
One could always look to Austria to ‘fix Britain’s broken trains’:
Austrians will soon be able to travel huge train distances for next to nothing – and it’s all part of an effort to tackle the climate crisis
Want to fix Britain’s broken trains? Look at Austria | WIRED UK
But we seem to be even more addicted to the car:
Although many have been off the road during lockdown, research is showing that the desire to drive may surge in a post-pandemic world.
Why our reliance on cars could start booming – BBC Worklife
image: Train arriving at Honiton © Malc McDonald cc-by-sa/2.0 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland