Overview

It is widely recognised that there are many people for whom public transport is essential, particularly amongst the elderly, children and teenagers. Less obvious is the dependence of our cities for their existence on high capacity public transport. Although there is still a prevalent view that local public transport is only for those who do not have a car, we are slowly beginning to realise that we need to find ways of restricting use of the private car more severely and that will involve some transfer to public transport. There is a widening gap between what we expect of public transport and what can be delivered. Our expectations for travel are increasing, both in quantity and in the standards of speed, reliability and comfort. Out-of-town shopping, leisure parks and business parks all involve more travel than did their predecessors. Cars are becoming more like mobile sitting rooms with all the home comforts such as CD player and telephone. To give all this up for a bus or train is asking a lot. Urban Public Transport Today gives an honest appraisal of the pros and cons of new public transport technologies. It shows how public transport can be made a less unacceptable alternative to the private car than it is now. Public transport needs to be co-ordinated and planned together with land uses under the Town and Country Planning legislation; too often public transport solutions overlook the significance of town planning policies generating demand for travel. The author draws on a thorough study of many continental European countries and includes the latest Euro-legislation and recent case histories to give a comprehensive coverage of everything from policy problems (including land use decisions) to practical considerations (including road building). Urban Public Transport Today will be invaluable for all those involved in the land use/local transport conundrum, including planning officers, policy makers and transport consultants as well as students in transport studies, town planning and geography. Barry Simpson acts as an advisor to a number of public authorities and private firms in the field of public transport including the Department of Transport. He has served for 15 years as an examiner to the Royal Town Planning Institute and teaches transport studies at Aston University.

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Dr Barry John Simpson, B. Simpson

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