Norman Baker MP Member of Parliament for Lewes constituency
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Norman Baker,
23 East Street,
Lewes,
East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
Tel: (01273) 480281.
Fax: (01273) 480287.
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Local MP quizzes government over transport costs
Local Lib Dem MP, Norman Baker, today challenged the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, over why the Government is punishing users of public transport by allowing bus and rail fares to rocket while car travel becomes cheaper.
On the floor of the Commons Mr Baker cited official Government figures which show that since 1997 the real cost of travelling by train has gone up 6%, the cost travelling by bus has gone up 13% but the cost of travelling by car is down 10%. The local MP then quizzed the Prime Minister over how these trends are reconciled with the Government’s alleged commitment to tackling climate change and social exclusion.
Locally, Mr Baker, who has been a long-standing campaigner for more affordable public transport, was key to persuading Southern to reduce the price of their local season tickets to Lewes by a third in order to encourage people out of their cars and onto local rail services. This fare-cutting initiative resulted in a 35% increase in the number of season tickets along the Eastbourne–Polegate–Lewes and Seaford–Newhaven–Lewes routes.
The Prime Minister responded to Mr Baker’s question by saying that the Government has doubled investment in railways in order to allow modernisation and has introduced national concessionary travel for pensioners.
Speaking about the exchange, Norman said:
"I am very glad to have been able to raise this issue with the Prime Minister today as the conflicting messages that the Government are sending are endangering both the possibility of developing a sustainable transport system for the country and the battle against climate change.
"The increase in passenger numbers between Eastbourne and Lewes, thanks to reduced price season tickets, has proven that more reasonable fares simultaneously help to tackle social exclusion by making public transport more affordable and help to tackle climate change by getting people to leave their cars at home.
"If climate change is to be successfully tackled then we need to ensure that transport that is more environmentally friendly is encouraged by making it cheaper than more environmentally damaging methods of travel. The current situation whereby car travel is getting cheaper and bus and train travel is getting dearer does the precise opposite. The Government urgently needs to change this and start rewarding the public transport user."