Bronze Age canoe found
Users in rural areas ‘deserve better’
WORKERS building a new road have unearthed a Bronze Age canoe.
Archaeologists who have examined the 3,500-year-old, 10ft-long vessel think it may have been used for fishing, then later re-purposed as a trough for water or feed.
The Welsh Government said: “This was found to be the trunk of a single oak tree hollowed out.”
Other finds during work on the bypass for the A487, near Caernarfon, include a section of Roman road.
Shropshire bus service. Inset, transport in Sweden
RURAL bus services do not provide a “satisfactory alternative” to owning a car, a study reveals today.
And bus users in the countryside in England have a much poorer service compared to passengers in Europe.
Commuters here have far fewer routes connecting towns and villages, and poorer connections to train services than those on the continent.
Researchers studied bus services in Shropshire – as a typical English shire – and rated them against comparable areas in Germany, Sweden and Switzerland.
The team at the charity Foundation for Integrated Transport found “striking” differences. Services in Shropshire do not provide a “satisfactory alternative” to car ownership for journeys to work, medical appointments, education and training opportunities.
Researchers studied 150 town and parish councils in Shropshire, and found services were failing to deal with the travel needs of students and pensioners, and those making trips to hospitals.
The timetables also did not marry up with train departures in the area. The report’s author, Prof John Whitelegg, said: “Rural residents in Shropshire and in every other English shire deserve a much better bus service than the one currently on offer, and the time is now to embark on the upgrade. Currently in Shropshire, buses are a low priority for the council and subject to large budget cuts. We can do so much better.”
Shropshire Council has plans to slash transport services in 2019/20 to save £450,000, with some bus routes to be axed and fares increased. Cllr Simon Harris said: “Under these proposals, the number of bus journeys in the county would be reduced, and we recognise the potential impact of this on bus users and local communities.
“As a result of central Government funding cuts, we need to make significant savings in many areas.”
Campaign group We Own It is pushing for public ownership of key public services.
Founder Cat Hobbs said:“The story of privatisation is [one]of failure. We need to bring it to an end and open a new chapter [of] public ownership, which can help us tackle challenges like climate breakdown and growing inequality.” PROF JOHN WHITELEGG ON RURAL BUS SERVICES
Buses are low priority and subject to large budget cuts