West Midland transport offers more questions than answers

By Phil Davis on Feb 27, 08 10:11 PM in Transport

If you're reading this maybe you're a busy commuter frustrated by how the Government and rail companies organise the railway; or perhaps a leisure traveller who got stuck in the New Year shambles created by Network Rail at Rugby?

Or someone who wants a better bus service to get to work - without roads' gridlock turning a 15-minute ride into a Shakleton-style expedition?

I'm a transport consumer rep. and activist living in the city centre. I sit on national and regional consumer bodies that keep an eye on public transport providers. I got involved because I'm a public transport user. I've also been responsible for public transport policy in a small part of our region in the past. I now try to rattle the cage of those who run rail, bus and Metro services to get something better.

Whether you live in the centre of Brum or a leafy shire, (or somewhere in between), we all need good transport links.

Regional roads are near capacity (I'm a motorist too) so who's doing something about a plan to get us all moving easier? Should we take the grown-up decision and go for a congestion charge?

With the successful lobby for funds for New Street, how do we make sure passengers still get full use of the station when major works are underway? Who are the decision makers across the region in transport? How do we beef up the region's ability to do more for itself and its people in transport provision?

More questions than answers in this first blog. I hope it gives a flavour of what I will be talking about in the future. My first look at a real issue will be about the large number of West Midlands' commuters losing out under the new rail compensation scheme. As they used to say in the old media: watch this space...