My thoughts on the Conservative Environment Network blog on winning over drivers:
Read the article on CEN.uk.com
Extract:
Here in the UK, we have, roughly speaking, one car for every two people: to be more precise, that’s 473 cars per 1,000 people based on 2018 statistics. And for those outside our major cities, whether it’s going to work, socialising, doing the school run or going shopping, sadly, there’s often only one option - grab the keys and take the car. The truth is, so many people in the UK drive not because they want to, it’s because they have to.
By contrast, in Europe, countries like the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany have some great public transport networks. People’s journeys basically flow from door to door as they switch seamlessly between buses, trams and trains across integrated systems. Plus safe walking and cycling options at either end. But you might be surprised to discover that in all those countries, car ownership is actually slightly higher than over here. The big difference is not in ownership – it’s in usage. In countries with great public transport, many people still own cars but they don’t always choose to drive. That’s because they have better options.