Blog 6 and 7

So...what are your views? Is there really a transport problem? Do the benefits of motorized transport outweigh the costs? Are there any minor (or perhaps major) changes you personally feel could make our present transport system more sustainable?

I think that there defiantly is a transport issue, but as private travel in cars has become much more accessible to people its going to be very hard to change peoples attitudes, because to be honest public transport is very unreliable at least the public transport in Northampton is. I have a car and I rarely think about how me driving everywhere impacts on the environment I'm more interested in getting where I need to be on time. I know I probably could use public transport a lot more but its a lot of hassle when I know I have my car just outside and I think this attitude is held by lots of car owners. For me to travel to Park Campus in the car it takes 10 minutes usually providing the traffic isn't too bad and to do the same journey on the bus it takes almost an hour! If I can get there in 10 minutes obviously I'm going to come in the car.

The government seem to be trying to put people off driving by increasing fuel tax and road tax and then there's the increasing cost of actually learning to drive but people will still do it as its a way of achieving your own independence. This increase in fuel tax and prices has a knock on effect for public transport like buses and trains because it means that the price of fares for that will also go up, which again pulls people back to their cars.

There has been a major increase in air pollution in the UK over the last 50 years with nitrous oxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions being particularly high which can be potentially lethal, MPs have suggested that this increase in air pollution across the country could possibly have been a contributing factor to 50000 deaths a year (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/22/air-pollution-deaths). Obesity wise I think cars are a big contributor to the expanding waste lines of Britain, with people driving short distances which can easily be walked. This does scare me a little and I do keep quite active but I think people need to be more aware of how important physical exercise is especially if their driving everywhere.

Northampton has got some very good transport links I just don't think that they are managed too well, for example I think there needs to be more regular buses on some of the more major routes like the University route or maybe just more buses at busier times of the day which would encourage more people to use it. The train links to London and Birmingham are actually really good and the bus which goes from campus to the train station really leaves no excuse for driving, however the train fares are actually rather expensive if your not a student and with annual passes being in the thousands I can see why commuters prefer to drive because either way its going to cost you a ridiculous amount of money, and personally if I could travel on my own rather than being squashed up with strangers I would! Also if it smelled nicer and the bus stations and train stations were nicer I would perhaps be a little more willing to travel on a bus or train.

I know it is in all of our interest for a healthier more sustainable lifestyle but if travel times are more than doubled whilst we do this and we have to spend the same if not more than we would on a car to travel on public transport then I personally and it seems most of the country would rather continue as I am and travel in my car.