Great article. Love the analogy of loosening the belt. We are too struggling with how to get people to use public transport. Especially in rural areas. It needs exist in the first place! There is only one bus to the city in the morning and one back in the evening where I live. You can easily be stranded if they are cancelled. And it has to be a more attractive offering, but its all down to cost of course. Biking has definitely increased but the lanes are narrow and its dangerous as car drivers are so impatient to overtake. We do have a bookable flexibus which picks you up which as you say is the most convenient but takes more time as its going round the houses picking up people. Rising cost of petrol might encourage more people to try it.
Great article. Love the analogy of loosening the belt. We are too struggling with how to get people to use public transport. Especially in rural areas. It needs exist in the first place! There is only one bus to the city in the morning and one back in the evening where I live. You can easily be stranded if they are cancelled. And it has to be a more attractive offering, but its all down to cost of course. Biking has definitely increased but the lanes are narrow and its dangerous as car drivers are so impatient to overtake. We do have a bookable flexibus which picks you up which as you say is the most convenient but takes more time as its going round the houses picking up people. Rising cost of petrol might encourage more people to try it.