Public transport addressed (From Stroud News and Journal)

Public transport addressed

PUBLIC transport was a hot topic at Stroud Conservative Club on Thursday, March 27 when Shadow Transport Secretary Tim Collins paid a visit.

Mr Collins was invited by Conservative candidate Neil Carmichael to meet with voters and councillors ahead of next month's local elections, when a third of district seats are up for re-election.

Mr Collins spent the afternoon visiting the Stroudwater canal, due to re-open over the next ten years, then talked to key transport experts, councillors and members of the public.

One burning subject was Stroud's late-running trains - especially after the Westmorland MP's arrival from London was delayed by 25 minutes.

Mr Collins said: "I have now experienced some of the delays which I gather are quite frequent on that particular line."

The MP said that, if in power, the Conservative Party would try to make trains run on time by setting more targets and reducing Government subsidies if they failed to meet them.

It would also replace discounted bus fares for the elderly with allowances which could be redeemed on buses and train or in taxi fares.

This would be better suited to meet everyone's travel needs, he said.

As MP for a rural constituency in the Lake District, Mr Collins said he understood the concerns of residents in areas like Stroud.

He was impressed by the £82 million plans to restore the Stroud canal and said it was very interesting and encouraging to see how positive people are about the potential for Stroud and the surrounding area.

"The message that comes across time and time again is that if you can get your transport infrastructure right, it has huge implications for the amount of jobs and the number of people coming to an area."

Mr Carmichael said the visit helped to highlight some important issues for Stroud, such as its insufficient rail links to places like Bristol.

It can take up to four and a half hours to get to Bristol airport, he said, as travellers have to go via Gloucester.

He said in the past people moved to Stroud because of its good links to London but were now being put off by unreliable trains.

The shadow secretary's visit will be followed up by a visit from David Willetts MP, Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions, who will talk on pensions at The Hill, Merrywalks on Thursday, April 3 at 12.30pm.

To attend, contact Neil Carmichael on 01453 757990.