Broader approach
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NO INDICATIONS of the way in which a national transport strategy could be developed are in the Green Paper on transport, says the Association of Metropolitan Authorities in its reply to the paper.
Although the paper pointed out that such a strategy was needed it did not suggest ways in which the strategy could be achieved.
Predictions in the paper were based on continuing economic gloom and looked at the problems of transport piecemeal when what was needed was a complete look at the problems across the board taking into account housing and social services and the impact of roads on them.
Metropolitan authorities should be left to find their own level and type of public transport. To help in this, all the transport services in an area should be combined under the one metropolitan county authority which could also be the Passenger Transport Authority.
Present bus fares would go up by half if Government policy were followed, but this would not happen until 1980. "The effect of doing this would mean the loss of 500 million passenger journeys and 25m bus miles every year in metropolitan areas," says the AMA.
It hits at the shortsighted view taken by the Green Paper. "Because of their impact on development, transport policies need to be viewed in relation to the development and re-development of towns and cities over 20 years."
Maintenance on rural roads was particularly important. Urban roads carried heavy burdens and the point had been reached when further reductions in spending would not easily be tolerated.