Transport fares

It is a sad reflection of the long-standing tradition of apathy to ecological issues that this government continues to hit commuters with a double-whammy of charges. Too many people are driving on the roads, so the solution is to charge per mile. Too many people are travelling by aeroplane, so the solution is to tax airlines more. Trains are too full, so the solution is to charge more.

Whilst I can accept that there are too many cars on the road, raising taxes is hardly the answer. Air travellers will only switch to more environmentally friendly modes of transports when they have a real alternative. Sadly, that will never happen when they are charged so much to use the rail network.

when rail prices rise above inflation every year, nobody will use trains

The real issue in hand is this: when rail prices rise above inflation every year, nobody will use trains. We need to persuade people to use public transport, but we continue to raise prices for both public and private travel. This is absolutely absurd. Stealth tax of public transport will never fit into a policy of reducing greenhouse emissions. But no politician would like to admit it.

It is about time we accepted that train fares are too high. We should be lowering those prices, and allowing people to travel by train without spending a small fortune. When flying abroad is less expensive than a day trip to Swansea, there is no wonder everyone is flying instead of using the trains. I accept that taxpayers’ money will have to be spent on public transport, but savings are possible in other areas. The knock-on effects of having fewer cars on the roads are often underestimated, and although it will never cover the costs of funding a rail network, it will help.

In short, a see-saw principle should be used in relation to rail and air travel. Instead of continually placing larger and larger charges for both in order to discourage use or simply increase revenue, one price must rise and another fall to alter the public’s behaviour. Thus air fares must rise, and rail fares must fall, if we are ever to break out of this habitual destruction of the environment for short-term economic benefit.

 — UPDATE 03-01-07 —

The front page of the Independent today seems to agree.

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