Market Drayton climate campaigners' propose new bus to improve 'woeful' public transport
A county councillor has agreed to put forward a transport plan to Shropshire Council amid complaints about access to bus services.
Councillor Ian Nellins thanked Market Drayton Climate Action (MDCA) for their published set of recommendations to improve the town's transport links, while also reducing carbon emissions to fight climate change.
It comes as the issue of access to public transport has been addressed by leaders including MP Helen Morgan and town mayor Councillor Mark Whittle.
Now Councillor Nellins, a resident of Market Drayton, has responded to the community group's leaders by saying that he will take the issue forward with Shropshire Council Transport Officers.
Janey Manton, from the transport branch of MDCA, emailed Councillor Nellins to offer a "simple, quick-win solution" to the "woefully inadequate" public transport causing "hardship" to people in the town.
She said in her email: "We suggest that an excellent way to spend our limited money is to fund a regular bus service (every hour between 5am and midnight) to cover the 10 miles between Market Drayton and Whitchurch.
"This will connect Market Drayton to the outside world and enable Market Drayton residents to access important extra amenities much more quickly and efficiently than at present."
A regular bus service to Whitchurch is the first of four recommendations made by MDCA, which they believe would enable quicker and more efficient travel to Shrewsbury and Crewe.
The MDCA document states: "It is crucial to reduce carbon emissions by reducing car use and increasing use of public transport.
"Public transport can be made more eco-friendly by use of electric, biofuel or hydrogen-powered buses to replace multiple vehicles on the road, and by use of minibuses on rural roads connecting villages.
"People will not use public transport until it is efficient and reliable, and goes where people need to go.
"The Government has allocated £220 million to improving rural bus services nationally.
"Market Drayton needed a share of that money to ensure that substantial improvements are made to our transport infrastructure, but it has now been announced that the Government has not awarded any of this money to Shropshire and Telford."
Other recommendations include reorganising the bus service to cover more areas in the town and extend to outlying villages.
They also recommended providing a bus service to connect Market Drayton to Telford's Princess Royal Hospital as well as some evening services.
The full report can be found at mdclimateaction.files.wordpress.com.
For further information contact Janey Manton at janeymanton@hotmail.com or Belinda Sprigg at sailing.boat@talktalk.net.
