Only a ban will drive us from cars
SINCE 1 March I have taken the opportunity, travelling by car round the island, to observe buses and their passengers. Not in the rush hours, before 9am or between 4-6pm – I try to keep off the roads then. Of 80 buses, at random in all parts of the island, 56 were empty, 12 had three or fewer passengers, nine had up to 10 passengers and three appeared to have more than 10 passengers.
When, I have to ask, will our elected representatives begin to live in the real world and realise that it matters not what they try to do to get us out of our cars, to walk, to cycle, they will fail. No bus service will come nearer than half-a-mile from where very many of us live and at my age I do not intend to begin walking that sort of distance to go anywhere. Take from us in taxes, however they disguise them – fuel duty, paid parking. Drive large, unsuitable vehicles off the roads (and I don't disagree with that), alternating daily odd/even registration numbers and any other harebrained ideas they may think of, we shall just have to accept it, and it will be the pensioners, less wealthy workers and handicapped who will suffer the greatest hardship.
And another nail in the coffin of Town traders doesn't seem to bother those who govern us.
Buses/walking/cycling are not answers – there is not a practical possible answer to the problem. People want independence, however inconvenient circumstances might be to achieve it.
So, our representatives begin spending some of the millions wasted on other things and provide adequate parking facilities in strategic places, such as Town, so that the place might become the vibrant centre of the island a reducing number of us remember. Accept that short of a complete ban, you will not solve the problem by any of the means you have to date revealed.
Having said that, I dread to think what might be revealed in the future by those who purport to govern.
Name and address withheld.
P.S. I must ask – how is the provision of a bus depot supposed to solve anything?
