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First Person on Transport |
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Conservatives First Person article on
Leading
the Way on Transport
by
Councillor
Richard Willis
Conservative Lead Spokesman on Transport
and Deputy Whip
See also Reading Post Article on
Richard's blog
“We believe that by providing the right
facilities people can be persuaded to
use the bus and bicycle rather than
forced to do so.”
Undoubtedly one of the hottest topics in
local politics in recent years has been
the whole subject of Transport. I am in
the fortunate position of holding the
portfolio for the Conservatives locally
and and am very aware of the concerns
many Reading people have about the way
the Labour Council has sought to lead
us. A couple of years ago Labour
proposed to make the IDR into a one-way
ring-road anti-clockwise around the town
centre. Conservatives stood out strongly
against this plan and when others told
us the fight was lost we made it a
central plank of our 2007 local election
campaign. We were rewarded with 7 extra
Council seats from both Labour and the
Lib Dems and the crazy one-way IDR plan
was dropped.
In 2008 we set out our vision for
transport in Reading in a 42 page
Transport manifesto which was
supplemented by a 37 page Cycling
Strategy. As a Group we have continued
to press the Council to achieve as many
of our plans as possible. We advocated a
renewed Council Cycling Strategy, a
Staff Cycle to Work Scheme, a Cycle
Forum, introduction of the Bikeability
scheme in schools, better signage of a
new network of premier cycle routes. All
of these have been, or are in the
process of being achieved.
We pledged that we would retain
ownership of Reading Buses and we
supported the introduction of branded
premier bus routes. However, we
questioned the assumptions behind the
decision to introduce bio-ethanol
fuelled buses. Sadly we have seen
recently that the bio-ethanol buses have
been found to be far more expensive to
run than was promised and they are now
to be converted over to run on diesel at
further cost. Labour claimed
considerable credit for the introduction
of what they called “green buses” and
they must therefore now be prepared to
take the flak for not having thoroughly
checked out the exalted claims made for
them.
Local Conservatives have a vision for
transport in Reading and we will once
again spell it out in detail prior to
next year’s local elections. We will
support public transport and
environmentally friendly modes such as
cycling and walking but not by
penalising the car user. We believe that
by providing the right facilities people
can be persuaded to use the bus and
bicycle rather than forced to do so.
Labour seems to prefer to make life as
difficult as possible for the car user,
forgetting that for some it is still
their only realistic means of transport.
We will review some of the major
traffic-lighted junction schemes that
have been introduced and where possible
return them to roundabouts, which allow
traffic to flow. We will investigate new
schemes that by-pass congested parts of
the town and provide better alternative
routes for all road users. A
Conservative Council will tackle
congestion more effectively ensuring
that there is never a need to introduce
Congestion Charging for local people.
Under a Conservative Council we will
always seek to be at the forefront of
transport planning and innovation,
learning from other local authorities
and other countries. We want a Reading
where all forms of transport can move
around freely with the minimum of
congestion and pollution.
Labour has run Reading since 1983. Next
May there is the chance for a change of
control and a change of direction for
Reading’s transport. I very much hope
that Reading people will seize that
chance.
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