A candidate for local elections in May has called for Fife Council’s latest transport plan to prioritise improving bus links from the West Fife villages to major transport hubs to meet carbon reduction targets and ensure better and fairer access to education and job opportunities.
Graeme Downie, Scottish Labour candidate for West Fife and Coastal Villages, said journeys from places like High Valleyfield, Torryburn, Culross and Kincardine to rail and bus hubs such as Inverkeithing station and Ferrytoll P&R should be a priority in Fife Council’s Local Transport Strategy after the opening of the consultation on the Main Issues report last week (27 January)
Mr. Downie pointed to the contrast of a 15min car journey from the villages to these hubs, whilst a bus journey takes an hour or more. He said the disparity makes it difficult for those living in West Fife villages who do not have access to a car as well as for those trying to reduce their carbon footprint.
Graeme wants to see improved bus services and other public transport options in the West Fife Villages and is urging people to contact him via social media to let him know of their own priorities for future transport in the area.
Commenting, Graeme Downie, Scottish Labour candidate for West Fife and Coastal Villages, said:
“Delivering access from the West Fife villages to transport hubs through local bus services must be a key priority for Fife Council’s future transport strategy.”
“For a 15-minute car journey to somewhere like Inverkeithing or Ferrytoll to take over an hour by bus at peak times is wholly unacceptable; it significantly reduces educational and job opportunities for people living in the West Fife villages without access to a car. Access is even harder for people travelling outside peak times, with sparse services and journey times up to 90mins.”
“For those with access to a car, the poor services makes it much harder for them to reduce their carbon footprint which is rightly one of the objectives of the proposed transport strategy.”
“We must demand better and fairer localised public transport to take people to these hubs. I am asking anyone who is impacted by this to get in touch via my Facebook page as well as anyone who has other transport issues they believe should be a priority for this area.”