Fuel protest

[Seagull over Canaryland]

No. The problem is that huge variations in the costs of housing mean that people are choosing to live further away from their workplaces than they did in the past - and in locations where the journey to work is difficult. They are now seeking someone to blame for the fact that their calculations haven't quite worked out as they hoped.

Incidentally ... public transport is now BETTER than it was in the past and, in Brighton (and London), many MORE people are using it than 10 years ago.

No. The problem is that huge variations in the costs of housing mean that people are choosing to live further away from their workplaces than they did in the past - and in locations where the journey to work is difficult. They are now seeking someone to blame for the fact that their calculations haven't quite worked out as they hoped.

Incidentally ... public transport is now BETTER than it was in the past and, in Brighton (and London), many MORE people are using it than 10 years ago.

I agree about public transport. Although services are more sparse here in Norfolk than Sussex those that exist are brilliant, however a highly acclaimed bus service serving a rural/coastal area is tragically having to be scaled back because grants from the local authorities are having to be cut back. There is no alternative, other than car. Part of the success of the bus route was that it was integrated to meet London trains at the nearest station some 20+ miles away.

The rail links from here to London are seeing increased passenger numbers and a project is underway to find relatively minor investment (£10m) to allow increased frequency of trains by re-engineering a bottle neck and even the re-dualling of a single track originally downgraded by dear old Dr. Beeching.

Sadly the most major investment in the region is the dualling of the final section of the A11 which is badly needed but of course places further emphasis on road transport.

However it is noticeable how there is the political will across all parties to campaign for improvements to infrastructure. There are no Norman Baker types to put a spanner in the works although he does inevitably have a say at national level!

Of course many will say 'serves you right for living in rural areas' which is all very well but for many communities public transport is the lifeblood, especially with banks and post offices closing so punters increasingly have to travel further for basic services. Having said that the general quality of life is overwhelmingly better than in most parts of the looney south-east - and for example broadband speed is excellent which helps.