The villagers with no buses who can't afford to fill up the car
Rising fuel duty is splitting the country into the “drives and the drive-nots”, with rural communities among the hardest hit, according to the AA.
The motoring organisation said lower-income and rural drivers were losing mobility faster than better-off motorists as motoring taxes rise.
The AA is now urging Chancellor George Osborne to revert to the old system of setting annual fuel duty, which takes into account current economic and social conditions and not the “automatic turning of the screw based on inflation”.
The issue of fuel duty – which is set to rise by three pence a litre in January -– will be debated by MPs in the Commons today following an e-petition which gained 100,000 signatories.
The AA said surveys of its members showed less well-off drivers had suffered more since the price of fuel peaked at 137.43p a litre for petrol, with diesel at 143.04p. Petrol has since remained within three pence of that record.
A May 2011 survey of 11,548 members showed that those cutting back on car use, other spending, or both, rose dramatically with lower income.
Also, a poll of nearly 16,000 in July this year “exposed the knife-edge that lower-income drivers endure budgeting on a set amount on fuel”.
Of the 28 per cent who said they spent a set amount on fuel, the impact of pump prices which were 16p-18p a litre higher than a year before showed it was poorer motorists who were being hit most.
In a letter to Mr Osborne, AA president Edmund King said: “The private car is, for most people, a necessity not a luxury. It is their means to a job, healthcare, doing the shopping, visiting relatives and friends, and also for improving the quality of their lives. The AA firmly believes that business and households should be given a break from the annual cycle of fuel duty increases.
“Motorists do not understand the logic of high fuel-duty rises, which further increase RPI and force demand down at a difficult time for family and business budgets which need mobility to stay afloat.”
Sarah Newton, Conservative MP for Truro and Falmouth, who is one of a number of MPs in the South West to sign a Commons motion about fuel duty, said: “I want to highlight that these prices affect rural areas the most because people have to travel to access public services and their places of work while relying on a, quite frankly, poor and patchy public transport system.”
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by McFrank
Sunday, November 20 2011, 10:15PM
“Call in FIRST! Your number 1 public transport company that just loves to help out in ANY way they can. ALL customers come FIRST and let us transport you to and from your villages and hamlets to those far away cities. We will giveth you FARE service and shall runneth our busses and trains on the hour every hour. Our staff will pamper you and look after your every need and................. OH! *rap I was dreaming! Sorry about that!
OK! Answer is this. MOVE to the cities and stop your beaching because I don't give a s***!”
by airhellair
Friday, November 18 2011, 9:55PM
“@Charlespk,
Actually, I'm part of the solution. I have never owned a car or driven one in the southwest. To me there seemed hardly any point coming to live in "one of the best parts of the uk" if I was going to pollute it with vehicle fumes.
It hasn't been easy. As you know, public transport in the SW is shyte. I have spent considerable time hanging about as providers seem unable to run an hourly bus service or 2-hourly train service. I have on average, cycled up to 30km daily, but my knees now need repair before I can do that regularly.
What is worse than the west's transport is its attitude. Clearly, you don't understand that a journey can consist of more than one mode of transport. Secondly, the concept of pre-paid off vehicle ticketing is totally lost in the SW. And most annoyingly, faffing and dithering about getting on and off public transport seems to be mandatory behaviour. I noticed signs saying "Doors will close 30 seconds before departure" on west country trains. Such signs are unecessary in the capital.”
by Howard_C
Thursday, November 17 2011, 7:32PM
“Thought I'd round this off with a link to an excellent article from the "Economist": http://tinyurl.com/8xoftum
Oh, and Charles, not being particularly up on political labels I had to look up "Turquoise/Green Socialist". Thanks for the compliment. Appreciated.”
by Howard_C
Thursday, November 17 2011, 8:51AM
“Always a pleasure to massage your smug little ego Charles.
This, bang on cue, appeared in my RSS feed this morning:
http://tinyurl.com/c8zdf9l
Oh, and seeing as you brought bicycles into the discussion I thought this might brighten your day:
http://tinyurl.com/62f5hrm
Have a good one. ;-)”
by Charlespk
Wednesday, November 16 2011, 9:45PM
“I just couldn't resist giving your Turquoise/Green Socialist instincts a good prod tonight. . You'd better start oiling your bike Howard. :)”
by Charlespk
Wednesday, November 16 2011, 9:35PM
“You are the problem Howard.
Oh ye of little mind and even less money. :)”
by Howard_C
Wednesday, November 16 2011, 8:11PM
“What the hell has that got to do with the price of fuel, then, Charles? You're suggesting that the "indigenous" inhabitants haven't stitched themselves up with car dependency too?
And *I* smell one of those small minded Somerset types who think that anyone who cannot link their DNA back to Cheddar Man has no place in the county.
Which, also, has nothing to do with the price of fuel.”
by Charlespk
Wednesday, November 16 2011, 7:41PM
“@airhellair
Only 30 years! . . Clearly you are one of the incomers who've been causing the problems.”
by airhellair
Wednesday, November 16 2011, 6:56PM
“Any moves to cut car dendendency, addiction and laziness is a good idea. Road use pricing is probably better than taxing. It works to a point in London with congestion charging.
In my experience, those who complain the loudest about expensive rural bus fares and the lack of public transport options do that from behind the wheel of a car costing 27k. If, for example, a person feels bus or rail services are as bad and expensive as they lead everyone else to believe, they should be able to show that to their local or charging authority and get exemption or a reduction.
Living 3 decades in the west country, I observed sheer laziness. There are people I know who will drive 1km - that just over half a mile. Some years ago, a colleague told me that her 11 year old daughter had never been on public transport. They lived 1.5 km from bath city centre....and she had not walked into town either.
Given the south west's tendency to mess things up and not understand even the basics of public transport, I get the feeling this situation is set to continue. Also, I feel that a village is a dated concept, much like a settlement of centuries ago. I hope future generations will want to live in more 'urban' areas, where most things are easily at hand, including efficient public transport.”
by Charlespk
Wednesday, November 16 2011, 6:35PM
“Clearly you aren't a Somerset man with a rural upbringing Howard.
I smell one of the "Red Tarmac Brigade" around here, who've been trying to turn the West Country into the 'Home Counties' with Traffic Lights, cycle lanes and Zebra Crossings for the last 30 years.”