RAIL FARES TO LEWES AND CONGESTION ON PARALLEL ROADS

Early day motion 300, tabled 24 October 2001 by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 11 members.

That this House notes that the peak return rail fare between Polegate and Lewes is £6.50 and that between Seaford and Lewes £5.00; further notes that the equivalent cost of petrol for the same journey by road is little more than £2.00; observes that most trains on these routes run with considerable spare capacity while heavy congestion can be found in peak hours on the parallel roads, the A27 and A26; believes many local people would use the train, which runs town centre to town centre on a frequent and reliable basis, if peak fares were cut; therefore calls on the train operator GoVia and the Strategic Rail Operator to work together to achieve this; and further calls on the South Coast Multi-Modal Study to give explicit consideration to the role reduced rail fares along these corridors might have in reducing road congestion, thereby making better use of existing infrastructure and obviating the need for very expensive and environmentally-damaging road schemes.

Signatures by party: Liberal Democrat 6, Labour 5.