Passengers in rural areas are being neglected when transport policy is formed, it was claimed yesterday.
Politicians said that car parking at park and ride facilities is costly and restrictive and local rail services are not up to scratch for those who border with the large cities like Birmingham and Coventry.
As a result, the Liberal Democrats believe the West Midlands is “punching beneath its weight” in the transport stakes.
Coun Jon Hunt (Lib Dem, Perry Barr) said: “Lots of people travelling from the shires are sitting in traffic jams trying to find free park and ride spaces at stations in cities.
“I suspect, some are even staying on the roads, which causes massive traffic jams.
“When they do decide to shift to rail, services are cramped and crowded and it’s not good enough.
“The issue with the West Midlands is that we’re made up of commuter towns that surround large metropolitan cities and this means there’s commuting taking place from around the region.
“We need to improve the quality of life across the board as we are increasing carbon dioxide emissions and this has to change.”
His views were supported by the Campaign to Protect Rural England chairman Peter Langley.
He said: “Too much effort is going on big schemes that tackle congestion and not enough on the local areas.”
The Liberal Democrats are pushing for shire counties and cities to join together to create three Integrated Transport Authorities (ITA) which can build on the successful features of Centro, the West Midlands Transport Authority.
Centro is made up of the seven district councils which make up the West Midlands County but the Liberal Democrats are calling for three ITAs with one covering Centro’s area and Warwickshire, another for Stoke-on-Trent and north Staffordshire, and a third for Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
The Local Authority Leaders Board has commissioned a study which will review transport governance for the West Midlands.
A Centro spokeswoman said: “The purpose of the review is to make certain that the West Midlands has a clear voice on the transport improvements we need to deliver sustainable economic growth, enabling the region to become an even more vibrant and prosperous place.”
