Countryside becoming inaccessible to bus users

A report by the Campaign for National Parks has found that cuts to rural bus services are preventing many people without cars from visiting Britain’s stunning countryside.

Despite years of campaigning to make the countryside more accessible, cuts to services in areas like Derbyshire and Cumbria which cover the Peak and Lake Districts have been so severe, that private transport is essentially the only way left to access them. Inevitably, this had led to a significant rise in the number of cars in these area which is having a damaging environmental impact.

According to the report’s authors: “Cuts to rural bus services in recent years mean that it has become increasingly difficult to reach many parts of the National Parks without a car. Not only do the limited transport options mean that many people are excluded from visiting, but high volumes of traffic can have a negative impact on the landscapes and wildlife, the very things that attract people to the Parks in the first place.”

Responding to the report, Dawn Badminton-Capps, Director of Bus Users England said: “The impact of bus cuts in rural areas is devastating, not just on the people who want to visit but on the people who live there, making it virtually impossible to access essential services, schools and employment.

“We welcome the recommendations in this report and would urge communities affected by bus cuts to speak out and let local councils know just how vital these services are.”

The report, National Parks for all: Making car-free travel easier outlines a number of transport options to make Britain’s national parks more accessible to everyone.

You can read the report in full here

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