‘Entrenched #CarCulture’ leaves millions in #transport #poverty: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/09/entrenched-car-culture-leaves-millions-of-britons-in-transport-poverty
"The solution is simple – building networks of safe, segregated cycle routes in towns and cities across the #UK would turn #cycling into a genuine option for millions of people, helping them break out of car dependence and the huge costs associated with that.”
@ali Something something Beeching Axe as well...
@pieist Do you mean that more train stations/railway lines should also be (re)opened? If so then, yes, absolutely! The town I grew up in had its station closed under the Beeching Axe in the 60s - reopening it has always been locally discussed and supported. It would certainly have an impact in rural towns like that with few/no other reliable public transport options.
@ali
Yes. One of the most insidious "truism" that people take as read is that a public good must be profitable, or at least "pay for itself" in some direct way. This is nonsense. (And deep down people know it: for one thing, it's not a test anyone applies to the fire department, police or military.)
Britain's unprecedented Industrial Revolution was made possible by a huge investment in transportation infrastructure, particularly canals and railways. It "paid for itself" not with ticket sales but by empowering industry and prosperity at all levels of society, throughout the countryside.
