CPRE, the countryside charity, has just published a report showing how we can end the era of isolation and car dependence across rural England. This can be achieved with a world-leading bus network that reaches every village, every hour from 6am to midnight, seven days a week; see: https://www.cpre.org.uk/news/our-report-shows-a-bus-every-village-every-hour-is-possible/ They want decision makers to know this is not just possible, but that people should settle for nothing less and have also launched a petition to make this a reality.
On 15 March the Prime Minister launched a new bus strategy, and a £3bn investment which aims to ‘level up’ bus provision. The government states that ‘everyone deserves to have access to cheap, reliable and quick bus journeys’. CPRE’s analysis, reviewed by academics and bus operators, shows that the whole vision could be more than paid for with the billions of pounds due to be ‘wasted on unnecessary road-building – activities that are destroying both communities and the climate’. They believe that their plan is affordable, achievable and already happening elsewhere and are urging people to sign their petition at: https://takeaction.cpre.org.uk/page/74256/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=td-report-petition&ea.url.id=5225787&forwarded=true
The countryside charity believes it’s time to make a lasting difference to lives across the country. Better bus services for rural communities are possible and with MPs from across the country asking to hear more about their vision, change is within reach.
