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Cash fears over Park transport
Brian Dooks A report has highlighted a shortage of funding for sustainable transport at a time when National Parks are trying to persuade visitors to leave their cars at home.
The Council for National Parks said sustainable transportshould be a high priority in areas including the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and Peak District National Parks.
The report, Tackling Traffic – Sustainable Leisure Transport in the National Parks, says excellent examples of sustainable recreational travel schemes within individual National Parks should be copied more widely. A serious concern is that many successful bus services to and within the National Parks are now suffering from a lack of funding, following the ending of the Countryside Agency's Wider Welcome scheme.
The report identifies that green transport brings social, economic and environmental benefits and says National Park authorities must be encouraged to continue to develop car-free tourism as a priority.
Benefits include reduced air, noise and visual pollution, improved quality of experience for visitors and health benefits by encouraging walking and cycling.
The Council for National Parks (CNP) also says it would enable people without access to personal transport, including the young, the less affluent, some ethnic minority groups and those physically unable to drive, to enjoy National Parks.
The CNP is seeking a ring-fenced Sustainable Transport Fund of 110,000 for each National Park authority. The report is backed by the Yorkshire Dales Public Transport Users Group. A spokesman said, "The issues raised in the report are of particular relevance to the Yorkshire Dales National Park, where from 2007-8 there will be no budget for public transport initiatives to provide sustainable means of access..."
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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