10th May 2008

See Cllr Philip Booth's letter to The Citizen regarding the next 26 weeks of roadworks on A40.

I must applaud the Citizen and the County Council for promoting the County's car sharing scheme in an attempt to reduce some of the A40 roadwork chaos between Over and Highnam. The steep fuel prices rises and our need to reduce carbon emissions, make it a good time for people to look at this option even if they don't use the A40.

When the A46 was closed near Stroud, many of us in the surrounding villages faced unprecedented levels of traffic. The county responded well to the communities requests to curb HGVs and tackle speeding, but there was little result to my calls for more publicity for car share, public transport and incentives like reduced fares. Only after four months did we see a reduced peak train fare.

The County's car share publicity this time is great. I hope they will also widely publicise public transport options, their timetables and more services. I am aware, extra parking places are available at Lydney station, but we need more to reduce car use. Indeed we need real investment in public transport across the country.

Too many people are in denial. Climate catastrophe threatens and fuel prices will rise ever more, as oil production reaches or passes it's peak. Instead of our County's dire train services and more cuts to bus services as The Citizen has reported, we urgently need a commitment to reduce car use and prioritise a quality affordable public transport system.

Log on to www.carsharegloucestershire.com or call 08700 111199

Cllr. Philip Booth, Stroud District Green Party.