Written evidence from the Campaign for
National Parks (BUS 13)
The Committee is particularly interested to receive
evidence on:
— the
impact of the reduction in Bus Service Operators' Grant, including
on community transport;
— the
impact of the reduction in local authority grant support to bus
services and other changes to the funding of local authority bus
schemes and services by the Department for Transport;
— the
implementation and financial implications of free off-peak travel
for elderly and disabled people on all local buses anywhere in
England under the Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007; and
— how
passengers' views are taken into account in planning bus services,
and the role of Passenger Focus in this area.
INTRODUCTION
The Campaign for National Parks (CNP) is the national
charity that campaigns to protect and promote National Parks for
the benefit and quiet enjoyment of all. There are 10 members of
the National Parks family in England, covering 9% of the land
surface. The statutory purposes of National Park Authorities are
to conserve and enhance natural beauty, wildlife, and cultural
heritage; and to promote opportunities for public enjoyment and
understanding of Parks' special qualities.
TRANSPORT IN
NATIONAL PARKS
CNP is very interested in transport policy and practice
in and around National Parks, and is therefore taking a keen interest
in proposals to change or cut back public transport services,
where these would have an impact on National Parks. In National
Parks, the dual transport challenge is ensuring the local population,
who are often rural based, can travel to reach essential services
and work places, whilst at the same time delivering a safe, welcoming
and efficient transport network for the large influx of visitors.
All of this must be achieved in a way that sustains the special
qualities and character of these beautiful landscapes. This challenge
is one that is shared between National Park Authorities, the transport
authorities and transport service providers.
It is vital that National Parks are connected into
a transport system that is fit to meet the pressing environmental
and demographic challenges of the 21st Century, including climate
change, population growth and people's changing attitude towards
travel and exercise.
IMPACTS
We are very concerned at the impacts of a reduction
in Bus Service Operator's Grant (BSOG), and on local authority
support to bus services. We already know of planned cuts to essential
long-standing leisure and commuting services that would have a
major impact on National Parks, such as the popular Dalesbus and
Moors Bus and some connecting services (see eg http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/localnews/Changes-will-bring-cuts-to.5679822.jp;
and http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/opinion/Colin-Speakman-Cuts-threaten-worldclass.6665777.jp).
These services, and others like them (eg the Shropshire Hills
Shuttle), have worked very hard to be integrated with the wider
transport network, with aligned service times and joint ticketing.
They have increased the numbers of park visitors and residents
opting to leave their cars at home - thus helping to address climate
change, energy efficiency, congestion and road safety within the
National Parks. Without subsidy through the BSOG, these services
would have to charge much higher fares. This would either turn
people back to their cars, or make countryside visits and travel
unaffordable for many. It would also hit many small business in
the National Parks hard, given the relatively high spending on
local services by public transport users (especially overseas
visitors who tend to be more environmentally aware) in local shops,
guest houses, pubs and cafes and visitor attractions in National
Parks. Tourism is a major industry in all of the National Parks,
a vital source of local employment and important earner of overseas
currency.
The 2010 review of the Moorsbus service in the North
York Moors National Park has concluded that the service will need
to cut its number of operating days to deal with the expected
loss of external funding. 13.7% of passengers surveyed in 2009
said they would have come to the National Park (by car) on the
day of survey if no bus had been available. In 2009 approximately
47% of passengers surveyed did not own a car, and this section
of the community at least will be disadvantaged by having access
to the National Park restricted.
It is very important that the impacts on leisure
bus services connecting town and country are taken seriously.
National Parks must be enjoyed in a sustainable way, by all sectors
of society. Evidence suggests that spending time in beautiful
open countryside is a key component of health and well-being,
and fundamental to our quality of life - improving bus services
to National Parks is one way to ensure that this happens.
Local bus services are also vital for the economic
and social well being of communities living within the National
Parks, especially as these contain a higher than average proportion
of older people, not all of whom can afford or are physically
able to drive a car, but also of young people working in less
well paid jobs within the tourist industry who also rely on threatened
evening and Sunday services for employment, educational and social
opportunities. Loss of rural buses will force people on lower
incomes to move out of many villages and small towns in National
Parks, creating serious problems of social imbalance as well as
shortages of workers in key services sector industries.
We draw attention to the opportunities that may be
offered through the new Local Sustainable Transport Fund for local
authorities to work with National Park Authorities, local communities
and stakeholder organisations to find new, cost effective ways
to meet the needs of both local resident and visitors within National
Parks, and urge the Select Committee to encourage and support
one or more pilot projects in the National Parks to see if this
approach can work. We also encourage the Select Committee to recommend
that the guidance on the fund should encourage bids to be made
at a National Park scale and for National Park Authorities
to have the option to make bids directly to the fund, either individually
or in partnerships with the relevant Highway Authorities.
December 2010
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