Kicking public transport around
Page 21
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I MUST SAY that I was very surprised that Mr Finch should write from Worcestershire about the problems of fares in the GLC area. A short while ago I decided to try public transport from Dartford to London and was amazed to find that the return fare was £3.60 whereas by car it would have been half that figure.
He states that the Labour group were democratically elected on this pledge, but it has always seemed wrong to me that transport in any form, particularly commercial, should be turned into a political football when it is so vital to the economy of the country.
What is more to the point is that much of the traffic in London is passing through, and only doing so of absolute necessity. I have campaigned for years for the Dartford Tunnel to be freed from tolls and the M25 completed, to encourage people to avoid London. The benefits would be far reaching and include savings in fuel, driving hours, wear and tear on the vehicles, as well as reducing congestion in London, and damage to roads.
This is, of course, a problem for central government, but it would affect the GLC and support the BRF argument for a Metropolitan Transport Authority.
C. W. OLIVER Technical Director Beck and Politzer Crane and Transport