Tag Archives: transport

Newbury by-pass – memories 20 years on

By Paul Walter | Mon 11th January 2016 - 9:54 am

In January 1996, protestors took to trees and tunnels just outside my home town of Newbury, trying to stop the building of the by-pass.

It was a bit of surprise to be at the centre of such national furore over our by-pass.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged newbury and roads | 9 Comments

Willie Rennie’s concern for “knackered” Fife commuters

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 16th December 2015 - 11:02 am

Two weeks into the closure of the Forth Road Bridge, Willie Rennie has told the Scottish Transport Minister that more needs to be done to support commuters who are facing delays of up to two hours each way in their daily commute.

He quoted some of the problems people are facing:

I drive from Dalgety Bay to Bo’ness and have found myself getting frustrated by being forced into huge queues over Clackmannan bridge then joining light traffic coming over Kincardine. My mileage has also been trebled which is an issue financially. Surely it would make sense to allow cars to use the A985 from 7.00pm to 6.00am and all weekend as a starting point to ease local residents misery on this.”

“My main problem is time -up at 4.40 and leave work at 15.15. Travelling 4 hours.”

“Absolute disaster and a total shambles. Two weeks on and completely inadequate. Platforms overflowing. Insufficient coaches available to cater for the masses caught woefully short by the inadequacies caused by the Scottish Government. Increased cancellations. Promises not kept. People falling ill on overcrowded trains due to lack of space and resultant lack of ventilation. Cancellations. Delays.”

Willie is worried about the cumulative effects of these delays on travellers at a time of year when the dark nights and weather conditions don’t make for easy driving conditions. He said:

Posted in News | Also tagged forth road bridge and willie rennie | Leave a comment

Liberal Democrat Jane Ann Liston talks about extending railway to St Andrews

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 4th September 2015 - 8:36 pm

This weekend, the Borders railway gets back underway again. This is a real achievement of the Scottish Liberal Democrats in government in Scotland. The Bill was passed way back in 2006.

We’ll be writing about this more as the first journeys take place on Sunday, but BBC Scotland has done a feature about how the success of the Borders project has inspired other railways campaigners. They interviewed Jane Ann Liston, a regular commenter on this site. She plays a significant role in the StARlink campaign which wants to see the five miles of track from Leuchars to St Andrews reinstated. See what she had to say here.

Posted in News | Also tagged jane ann liston, rail and StARlink campaign | 7 Comments

Safety on trains for women – what do the rail companies have to say?

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 28th August 2015 - 4:56 pm

There’s been a lot of discussion about train safety for women over the last week or so after the publication of statistics showing a rise in the number of sexual assaults on trains and the subsequent controversy over Jeremy Corbyn’s comments on women-only carriages.

However, we haven’t heard much from some very influential organisations about this, surprisingly so. The train companies themselves have been pretty silent.

Liberal Democrats Kelly-Marie Blundell and Daisy Cooper took to Twitter to question them.

The voice missing in debate on #womenonlycarriages is the rail companies – what are they doing to protect females? @libdemdaisy @Se_Railway

— Kelly-Marie Blundell (@KellyMarieLD) August 28, 2015

Posted in News | Also tagged daisy cooper and kelly-marie blundell | 20 Comments

Some thoughts on the tube strike

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 9th July 2015 - 5:19 pm

View image | gettyimages.com

Just about now, people across London will be thinking about how on earth they are going to get home. The underground system, on which so many rely, is shut down for the day due to a strike. What is the liberal approach to sorting the situation?

I am not often out late partying in London. Just over a year ago, I was down for the fantastic wedding of Ed Fordham and Russell Eagling. I was really shocked that the tube stopped running as early as it did on a Saturday night. I mean, public transport doesn’t usually run 24/7, but this was London, for goodness sake. I had a bit of a panic when I thought I’d missed the last Piccadilly Line train back to my hotel, but, thankfully, one turned up.

Posted in News | Also tagged boris johnson, London and transport for london | 29 Comments

Opinion: We need HS2 and HS3 to benefit the north

By Mike Green | Tue 28th October 2014 - 1:21 pm

The government’s support for HS2, despite the critics, has shown a real commitment to providing adequate transport links to sustain the UK and give the North a fairer deal as we head into the mid 21st century. We Lib Dems can be proud to be some of the program’s most enthusiastic and enduring supporters. The announcement yesterday of the creation of Transport for the North and the government’s support for HS3 means the North may finally start to enjoy the benefits of transport investment equivalent to the £17bn Crossrail and £6bn Thameslink that benefit London.This is a project worthy of our support, but there are a few questions to be answered.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged HS2, hs3 and rail | 19 Comments

Something a bit different – Trams return to Edinburgh

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 31st May 2014 - 7:00 pm

If you think that canvassing on behalf of the Coalition Government is hard, you should have tried canvassing in Edinburgh during the 2012 Council elections. The Liberal Democrat/SNP administration which came in in 2007 actually did, eventually, sort the contract problems and ensured that today could take place.

Posted in News | Also tagged edinburgh, Scotland and trams | 5 Comments

Phil Bennion MEP wins Clean Air award

By The Voice | Wed 7th May 2014 - 8:05 pm

Liberal Democrat MEP and European Transport Spokesman Phil Bennion has won an award for his work in improving air quality in cities across the UK, after a successful campaign to cut deadly pollution including from diesel-powered vehicles.

Phil was given the “Clean Air in Cities Award” by campaigning group Clean Air in London after he successfully campaigned to ensure tailpipe exhaust checks are included in MOT tests under EU law. This will help detect harmful emissions and ensure that newer diesel-powered vehicles remain fitted with exhaust filters that prevent deadly particulate pollution being released into the air.

Around a quarter of pollution in the atmosphere in the UK comes from diesel engines, contributing to an estimated 7,000 of the 29,000 premature deaths caused by air pollution each year.

Posted in News | Also tagged clean air, environment, eu, phil bennion and pollution | 1 Comment

Opinion: We are still living with the consequences of nationalised railways today. Turning back the clock will make matters worse.

By Alisdair Calder McGregor | Mon 5th May 2014 - 9:31 am

In a letter to the Observer a group of Labour PPCs, including my opponent Joshua Fenton-Glynn, have proposed that the Labour should nationalise rail services.

This idea displays an ignorance of the true cause of the problems with UK railways that beggars belief. Almost every issue with rail transport can be traced not to privatisation per se, but to nationalisation, or the insufficiently liberal privatisation foisted upon us by the Major government.

In the 1980s investment in rail was at an all time low, due entirely to the nationalised nature of …

Posted in News | Also tagged joshua fenton-glynn, labour, privatisation, public services and rail | 117 Comments

Baroness Sal Brinton writes…Disabled rail travel: We’re not just treated like second class citizens, we’re treated like packages

By Sal Brinton | Mon 7th April 2014 - 11:57 am

When people in wheelchairs meet one another, disabled travel experiences are a frequent topic of conversation. Rail, buses or taxi we have often encountered brilliant helpful staff, but frankly, sometimes appalling service.

My train commuter run to Parliament from Watford Junction to Euston is usually very smooth, with unfailingly helpful London Midland and National Rail assistance staff, but both stations are staffed for as long as trains are running. Unstaffed stations can be really patchy.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged disability, disability discrimination act 1995, featured and rail travel | 16 Comments

Opinon: The Calder Valley needs a modern transport system to maximise economic potential

By Alisdair Calder McGregor | Wed 12th March 2014 - 8:22 am

The declaration that Hebden Bridge is the UKs ‘second city’ – lying at the heart of the suburbs of Bradford, Leeds & Manchester – has come as something of a shock to most people living there, including myself. However, underneath the hyperbole lies a serious point; that the Calder Valley lies in a sweet spot for ease of commute to the major employment centres.

But what the Calder Valley lacks – and what holds back prosperity and employment opportunities within it – is a modern, efficient transport system.

We are cursed on the Caldervale line which runs along the Calder Valley

…

Posted in News | Also tagged calder valley, economy and jobs | 14 Comments

Susan Kramer: “The whole plan for HS2 has included benefits for Scotland”

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 2nd November 2013 - 8:29 am

Transport Minister Susan Kramer came to Glasgow yesterday to talk about the benefits HS2 will bring to Scotland, even though it’s not as yet planned to come all the way north. It will cut journey times by an hour and bring economic benefit apparently.

She spoke to the BBC here:

Posted in News | Also tagged HS2 and susan kramer | 16 Comments

Opinion: Conservative run Shropshire takes independence away from disabled and elderly

By Ian Griffiths | Thu 31st October 2013 - 11:35 am

A month ago, we heard from Matt who wrote bravely about how he feels denigrated by Conservatives attacking welfare claimants. Today, Ian – a disabled bus user in Shropshire living in sheltered accommodation – writes about problems with transport as his Conservative council slashes bus services.

I am writing this article because I am campaigning on behalf of registered users from Three Crosses, Clee Hill near Ludlow and other scheme managers, users and their carers in South Shropshire. We were users of Shropshire Link, a regular, bookable bus service that served all the rural areas.

We have lost our independence thanks to the Conservative Cabinet member for Highways and Transport, Claire Wilde, who abolished the Link service as of 8 October. It has been replaced with a community bus service.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged disabled people and elderly | 8 Comments

Julian Huppert writes: A local approach to sustainable transport

By Julian Huppert | Fri 30th August 2013 - 3:30 pm

This is the first of three extracts from the forthcoming collection of essays Green liberalism: a local approach to the low carbon economy. Similar collections will be published under Green Alliance’s ‘Green social democracy’ and ‘Green conservatism’ projects as part of the Green Roots programme, which aims to stimulate green thinking within the three dominant political traditions in the UK.

A sustainable and low carbon transport system is something which UK governments have historically struggled to achieve, thanks to years of poor forward planning and systems which revolve heavily around cars, a highly inefficient mode of transport. But mobility patterns are …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged green alliance and green liberalism | 6 Comments

Opinion: Government is at its best when it’s boring

By Andy Boddington | Fri 23rd August 2013 - 3:03 pm

If Alistair Darling had ever walked into the pub when I was pulling pints, I would have thrown him out on his ear for introducing the now deceased beer escalator.

Now I find myself applauding him. What he said today about High Speed 2 and transport policy was probably bad politics, but it is exceedingly good government.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged government | 25 Comments

Opinion: the importance of the rural bus

By Judith Bunting | Fri 5th April 2013 - 10:21 am

I recently visited Ivy in Ashmore Green. A woman in her eighties, Ivy is still bright and lively. When I met her, she had recently given up driving and was still reeling from discovering that her local bus service, the 76, that connects Ashmore Green to the rest of the world, runs once a week.

Now, all credit to Jacs Minicoaches for running this service, but a bus that runs just once a week is not something around which you can build a life. A thriving community depends on more than just driving-age adults.

How are youngsters supposed to get to school

…

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged rural communities | 4 Comments

LibLink…Eluned Parrott AM: Looks to be game, set and match to Abertis

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 9th January 2013 - 4:43 pm

Welsh Liberal Democrats are questioning the Labour First Minister’s actions in entering into an exclusive relationship to buy Cardiff Airport for the nation with no prior consultation of the Assembly and without publishing any clear idea of how it will be run.

Eluned Parrott, Liberal Democrat Shadow Economy and Transport Minister has written an article on this over at Freedom Central. She said:

This is of course without consulting the Assembly, without revealing the price he’s offered, without revealing a business plan for the airports future, or without even stating what his government is planning on doing with it or who he

…

Posted in LibLink | Also tagged cardiff airport, eluned parrott, freedom central and Wales | 2 Comments

Norman Baker MP writes… Green light for more green buses

By Norman Baker MP | Wed 7th November 2012 - 3:23 pm

Last year there were an estimated 2.3 billion bus passenger journeys in England. More people up and down the country get to work by bus than by all other forms of public transport combined, and over 50% of students use them to get to classrooms and lectures. More than that, they provide a life-line for rural communities and just as vital in cities in terms of reducing traffic jams and air pollution by getting people out of cars. But even while people are reducing their carbon emissions by hopping on the bus rather than using their cars, we want to …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged green issues | 4 Comments

Opinion: Are we being taken for a First(Group)-class ride?

By Prateek Buch | Thu 16th August 2012 - 10:55 am

As someone who has used the west coast mainline regularly for the past fifteen years (and would have done so more if the cheaper fares were more readily available), I can testify to a significant improvement in reliability and levels of service in recent years. Much of this was of course down to the £9bn and more of public investment in upgrading the line, and much was down to Virgin themselves – I carry no torch for Sir Richard but there’s little denying that Virgin trains, expensive though they undoubtedly can be, ran what became a reliable, punctual, comfortable service.

But …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged FirstGroup, railways, richard branson and trains | 19 Comments

LibLink: Tom Papworth – why Norman Baker is my Liberal Hero

By NewsHound | Sat 4th August 2012 - 11:20 am

Over at liberal think-tank CentreForum’s blog, Tom Papworth has nominated Lib Dem MP and transport minister Norman Baker for the honorary title ‘Liberal Hero of the Week’. The reason? Norman’s libertarian stance on the proposal that wearng cycle helmets should be compulsory:

I think anybody who rides a bike without wearing a helmet is taking an enormous risk. I’ve fallen off my bike in the past and had my helmet (rather than my head) bounce off the tarmac. I also know that cycling can be very dangerous; the chair of one the neighbouring constituency party was killed a few years back

…

Posted in LibLink | Also tagged cycling, norman baker and tom papworth | 44 Comments

Three intriguing opinion poll results that made me go, “Hmm, really?”

By Stephen Tall | Wed 1st August 2012 - 2:15 pm

Looking through some of YouGov’s recent poll results (as you do on a summer’s evening during the Olympics), a trio of responses struck me as, well, slightly bizarre. See what you think…

Lib Dem voters LEAST LIKELY to think Britain is best at cricket, MOST LIKELY to think we’re best at cycling

This may simply be a reflection that ‘Britain’ does not play cricket. Or perhaps just a subjective viewpoint: after all, England is currently ranked the best test cricket team in the world (though fourth in one-day internationals); while …

Posted in Polls | Also tagged jimmy carr, sport, tax, tax avoidance, tax evasion and yougov | 8 Comments

Norman Baker MP writes… A virtuous circle for cycling

By Norman Baker MP | Wed 27th June 2012 - 1:53 pm

Many of you will know that I don’t need to be asked twice to wax lyrical about the benefits of cycling. Cycling isn’t just about getting from A to B. Quite often it’s the quickest way of getting around, not to mention the healthiest, most environmentally friendly and the most predictable. It’s wallet-friendly, for those of us with an eye on rising fuel prices, and it’s space friendly, at a time when parking spaces in town and city centres are both at a premium and becoming increasingly expensive to use. Each car parking space could fit up to 20 bikes, …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged cycling and sustrans | 6 Comments

Opinion: Transport infrastructure – our way to avoid depression

By Mark Wright | Sat 2nd June 2012 - 10:25 am

The best post-crash indicator of the coming decade is Japan in the 90s: “The lost decade” as they call it.

Understanding that the current malaise will continue for 5 to 10 years means we need to be thinking now about how we will be boosting the economy in 5-10 years and preparing it for growth in the decades after that.

The answer has to be infrastructure. Not only is the construction industry among the hardest hit right now, but infrastructure activity has amongst the most stimulating effect on the economy, and also it creates “facts on the ground” – useful assets that don’t …

Posted in News | 26 Comments

Norman Baker MP writes… Helping people make smarter transport choices

By Norman Baker MP | Fri 25th May 2012 - 10:20 am

Transport accounts for around a quarter of the UK’s emissions, but people want to travel and they want to travel further and more often. Good transport infrastructure is also essential to a well-functioning economy, so how do we square the circle?

The Lib Dem approach is to say that it isn’t about choosing between growth and carbon reduction: it’s about reducing carbon emissions from transport. That’s why the Lib Dems in Government are overseeing the of spending £2.4bn on transport improvements; the biggest rail expansion programme since Victorian times; electrification of over 800 miles of railway compared to the 9 miles …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged living streets, local sustainable transport fund and sustainability | 12 Comments

Glasgow Subway Snap-In – a fun bit of activism to stop proposed photography ban

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 23rd May 2012 - 1:21 pm

Remember the olden days under new Labour when many amateur photographers found themselves being stopped and searched under section 44 of the Terrorism Act just for, well, taking photographs. Liberal Democrats stood up against that then and in Government these searches were stopped.

Chris Huhne, then Home Affairs Spokesman, was robust at the time in saying that photographers and trainspotters should be left alone to pursue their perfectly legitimate hobbies without interference.

We thought we’d seen the last of these authoritarian attacks on innocent pastimes until the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport announced plans to ban photography completely on the subway, giving …

Posted in News | Also tagged consultation, glasgow, Mark Pack, photgraphy ban and subway | 2 Comments

The Independent View: Why the Lib Dems should put cycling at the heart of their transport policy

By Donnachadh McCarthy | Tue 3rd April 2012 - 11:06 am

More motorways, airports and cities, cried the leader of the “greenest” government ever. The Prime Minister is absolutely right that we need new infrastructure but what we need is not ever wider motorways but a modern cycling infrastructure, to get the ridiculous 50% of journeys under 5km that are currently taken by car, out of the way of essential business traffic.

Millions of UK citizens are too old, young, poor or eco-conscious to own a car. In countries from Denmark to Japan, their governments provide safe cycle-paths. Our roads however are not fit for purpose, as …

Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Also tagged cycling | 21 Comments

Opinion: Cameron’s road plan is a terrible idea

By Andreas Christodoulou | Thu 22nd March 2012 - 6:05 pm

David Cameron’s announcement that he was planning on getting private enterprise to fund roads in the UK has to be a contender for the worst idea since the Potassium Teapot.

While, in principle, the idea of private enterprise building new roads isn’t necessarily a terrible idea, any private involvement in refurbishing existing roads, widening motorways or improving junctions would be a financial mess.

In this case, private enterprise would borrow some money (probably from a pension fund), widen the motorway or make the junction better, then get some sort of pay off from the Government based on road/junction usage.

Unfortunately, private businesses …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged pfi and roads | 17 Comments

Julian Huppert MP writes… Boris Island is no more than an election ploy

By Julian Huppert | Sat 21st January 2012 - 11:45 am

Just one week after the Government gave the green light to a multi-billion pound high speed rail network, taxpayers are being asked to consider another tranche of infrastructure investment.

But the case for a £50 billion Thames Estuary Airport, dubbed ‘Boris Island’ after London’s inimitable Mayor, is so confused that it no longer constitutes a coherent proposal at all.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged boris johnson and SS Richard Montgomery | 6 Comments

Charles Kennedy MP writes…How you can help save our Sleeper

By Charles Kennedy | Wed 14th December 2011 - 10:25 am

The Caledonian sleeper services are a Scottish institution, a symbol of the comfort and style which was once the hallmark of the railways. They are invaluable for connecting the more remote parts of the Highlands to the UK Capital, allowing Scottish people to reach morning meetings in England and Londoners to catch the Deerstalker Express straight to the most beautiful places in the world. I’ve lost count of the number of individuals & businesses who have been in touch over the years to tell me just how important …

Posted in Op-eds and Scotland | Also tagged caledonian sleeper, rural and transport scotland | 7 Comments

Opinion: Saving School Transport

By Sarah Osborne & Antony Hook | Fri 11th November 2011 - 8:55 am

County councils all over England are making deep cuts to school transport that Liberal Democrats are right to fight against. School transport cuts are bad for child safety, bad for working parents and bad for congestion on local roads.

The cuts, which mostly have come into effect this term or will over the next 12 months are, in most cases, to reduce school transport to the very least permitted by statute. That means it is being axed for everyone who is not on free school meals or who lives more than 3 miles (2 for primary children) from their nearest …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged annette brooke, michael gove, norman baker, schools and tim loughton | 4 Comments

SNP Govt defeated on Lib Dem motion

Vince Cable writes: A budget of small things

Chadwick launches leadership bid

Don’t take Democracy for granted

Tag Archives: transport

Newbury by-pass – memories 20 years on

Willie Rennie’s concern for “knackered” Fife commuters

Liberal Democrat Jane Ann Liston talks about extending railway to St Andrews

Safety on trains for women – what do the rail companies have to say?

Some thoughts on the tube strike

Opinion: We need HS2 and HS3 to benefit the north

Something a bit different – Trams return to Edinburgh

Phil Bennion MEP wins Clean Air award

Opinion: We are still living with the consequences of nationalised railways today. Turning back the clock will make matters worse.

Baroness Sal Brinton writes…Disabled rail travel: We’re not just treated like second class citizens, we’re treated like packages

Opinon: The Calder Valley needs a modern transport system to maximise economic potential

Susan Kramer: “The whole plan for HS2 has included benefits for Scotland”

Opinion: Conservative run Shropshire takes independence away from disabled and elderly

Julian Huppert writes: A local approach to sustainable transport

Opinion: Government is at its best when it’s boring

Opinion: the importance of the rural bus

LibLink…Eluned Parrott AM: Looks to be game, set and match to Abertis

Norman Baker MP writes… Green light for more green buses

Opinion: Are we being taken for a First(Group)-class ride?

LibLink: Tom Papworth – why Norman Baker is my Liberal Hero

Three intriguing opinion poll results that made me go, “Hmm, really?”

Lib Dem voters LEAST LIKELY to think Britain is best at cricket, MOST LIKELY to think we’re best at cycling

Norman Baker MP writes… A virtuous circle for cycling

Opinion: Transport infrastructure – our way to avoid depression

Norman Baker MP writes… Helping people make smarter transport choices

Glasgow Subway Snap-In – a fun bit of activism to stop proposed photography ban

The Independent View: Why the Lib Dems should put cycling at the heart of their transport policy

Opinion: Cameron’s road plan is a terrible idea

Julian Huppert MP writes… Boris Island is no more than an election ploy

Charles Kennedy MP writes…How you can help save our Sleeper

Opinion: Saving School Transport

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SNP Govt defeated on Lib Dem motion

Vince Cable writes: A budget of small things

Chadwick launches leadership bid

Don’t take Democracy for granted

Tag Archives: transport

Lib Dem voters LEAST LIKELY to think Britain is best at cricket, MOST LIKELY to think we’re best at cycling

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