How thr fuck do I force/ lobby my local council to implement acceptable public transport into my town
How thr fuck do I force/ lobby my local council to implement acceptable public transport into my town
I live in the UK and my town has not got transport that allows mobility for all. No bike lanes (and if they exist they're just painted on the road), no bus lanes (buses get stuck in the same rush hour traffic and everyone else which doesn't incentivise people to take them) and these buses are also unreliable and infrequent. What makes it worse is that my local council is right leaning. How do I hold my local council accountable to implementing even the cheapest solutions to traffic and transportation? How can I lead to public transport change in my community?
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Honestly, just go to every council meeting and every chance you get tell them what you want. That’s how all the parking lots and stroads got there, from people stomping their feet and making a scene at council. Get organized, get like minded people involved, and apply pressure on your local politicians.
Exactly, it sounds like your town is big enough to have/deserve decent transit, but small enough that a small vocal group could have a big impact.
Get involved, show up, campaign for/against politicians that support/oppose improvements. If you can find a friendly counselor (don't discount anyone, you never know who might already quietly support a special interest like this) to meet with you, get their help to make a list of practical improvements that could be enacted now/quickly, focus your activity around these (for now). Work to mobilize other bus takers/cyclists/young people/older pensioners who are more reliant on transport. Contact local press, write letters to the editor, befriend a local reporter. Consider planning a small demonstration, but keep the tone very friendly, you are trying to convice and even befriend people who maybe didn't care or know about the issue. Frame the debate in an inclusive way (i.e. rush hour traffic is terrible, wouldn't bike lanes and bus lanes improve things for everyone, even car users?)
You don't have to do all of the above, just what you can to move the needle. Local politics can actually be a lot more rewarding than national, because you have a chance of seeing a real impact.
Do you have any ideas on how to find likeminded people in the community? It seems everyone I talk to isn't that passionate about public transport
You'll find very few people randomly who are adamant about public transport. Especially in a car dependent and bad public transport area.
Maybe talk to people on the bus?
good idea, thanks
Ehh, they usually go to poll data exactly to get out of individual people that show up.
You need to shift the overton window.
In local city politics, showing up counts for A LOT. Even big cities don’t enjoy ANY polling data on most issues, to say nothing of medium sized cities or smaller. Also, most people don’t vote at the local level, so polling is less important.
Yeah, be a problem they'll desperately want to make go away. Just don't break any laws.