I was shocked to learn that the three buses a day serving Little Waldingfield will be cut in the spring. Some people in the village rely entirely on the bus, and with the future of the community transport service very unclear, and its services intermittent at best, I am not certain how they will be able to cope.
Colin Spence, our County Councillor, and I were aware that the County Council was restricting some services, but we were lulled into a sense of false security because we could not identify much on the published list that affected Waldingfield Ward.
We understand that this service was not in fact on the list, but in any event, following a routine review, was cut due to lack of customers. As one resident pointed out however, being short of people is the nature of rural areas, and I do not see how any rural routes can ultimately be supported if this is to be a factor.
I am also not sure how this lies with the County Council's former pledge to make Suffolk the greenest county, but, as in other situations, the environment seems to be among one of the first things to suffer when economic priorities are being reviewed. As I have pointed out in other posts the County Council is not alone in this.
I know that Colin is looking into the matter, but I personally fear that it is unrealistic in the current economic climate to expect the decision to be reversed. It is a fact that the County Council has much reduced resources. I have in addition discovered, when taking up matters related to transport in the past, the local bus companies are a law unto themselves and are unlikely to respond to an appeal that asks them to put people before the bottom line.
Perhaps this is yet another opportunity for the Big Society? (These opportunities are coming alarmingly thick and fast at present.)
Friends and neighbours will need to be more ready to give lifts. My husband Nick reminds me how in Russia, even today, cars will regularly stop to pick up people without transport on rural routes (strangers and acquaintances alike) and drop them close to a bus stop or take them into town. This is particularly common on a Sunday evening when townsfolk are returning from their rural dachas, but happens at other times too. Perhaps the time has come in England to consider reviving the hitch hiking tradition that was alive and well in the 60's and 70's.
On a practical note, I understand that it is possible to swap a Pensioner's Bus Pass for taxi vouchers. This may partially alleviate the situation for people, but the amount on offer does not, of course, allow for regular taxi use.
