Can this government, or come to that any other UK government in the last 20 years get anything right regarding public transport? I think not personally. The latest piece of mindboggling news is that rail fares are set to rocket, due to the government's decision to slash funding by 50%, a move which will guarantee huge rail fare price hikes for the next decade. Oh deep joy.
We motorists are being constantly told to do our bit to help save the planet by using public transport more often. Cutting funding and the rail fair increases that will come with it will do nothing to encourage motorists to use what, frankly, are generally appalling rail services.
Set against this news, we have the prospect of road-pricing schemes and congestion charging on the horizon. If they don't get you one way they will get you somehow. The poor old commuter simply cannot win.
If the government wants us all to do our bit to save the planet, then they should be encouraging us all to use public transport by keeping fares low and by making sure that our trains are clean, have enough capacity and run on time.
In other countries where rail networks run smoothly and efficiently like in France for example, they do so because the government has long realised the importance of the getting public transport right. Over here in the UK it is the same old story a complete and utter shambles.
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