Transport policy finally moving in the right direction
WE HAVE finally managed to find a group of politicians and civil servants who have come up with a logical, workable transport policy that should have the effect of reducing the number of massive Chelsea tractors clogging our roads – or make them pay more for the inconvenience caused to the rest of islanders who drive cars of appropriate size to the roads provided.
Providing a free bus service in conjunction with this change is also laudable, if the service provided meets the needs of those switching from their cars, which it currently does not.
Isn't it time we got someone to admit that the buses are too big for the majority of routes served, and design a service based on using the large buses between designated hubs, such as Town, Airport, St Sampson's, St Martin's and L'Islet, and using smaller vehicles to service the feeder routes into the hubs? It's not brain surgery; it is what UPS (the world's largest parcel carrier) uses as the principle of their entire existence. Hub and spoke systems have been around for decades because they work.
As we also appear to be moving gradually into an era of environmental awareness, isn't it time Guernsey became a centre of excellence for electric vehicles? Our size means that the current crop of vehicles would probably only need a charge once a week, so it is only the purchase price that deters the take up of these environmentally friendly transports... Over to the States, please, for an incentive programme.
At last we seem to be on the right track. Congratulations.
JAMES SYMONS
