A quick read of Duncan's message ... and I have to say I agree; put another way the recution of the service on its own is silly, but with the knock-on effects added in, it's madness.  There doesn't appear to be any joined up thinking - certainly in any positive direction.

Air pollution, more to spend on travel in individual vehicles by hospitals, schools etc, are all immediate issues. In the longer term, there's the fact that we're more and more mobile, that the population is growing around here at an astonishing rate (as was train use before the cuts!) and that in time - the next few years rather than longer - we're going to have to move people around more efficiently.  Bundling them up 50 at a time on a train that runs at a time they want it  is much more efficient than giving each of them a 4 x 4 (a suggestion made recently by the secretary of state for transport for low use lines) and it's better and quicker for them too ... I can get to Swindon if I happen to be going at 07:17 or 19:50 in a 35 minute journey, but I take twice that by road and three times that if I use public transport alternatives.