WW just assumed that us suburbanites shun public transport for the car - which is just a sweeping statement AND that we only use the city to go to work!!!! We obviously do not have very active lives, in the leafy suburbs!!
Ridiculous.
Firstly, the bus system in the suburbs is poor, journey times are too long, services infrequent, unreliable and uncomfortable. If you don't live near a train station you must park and ride. If the car park is full you must drive. Or leave your car on the side of a road - not an attractive proposition. Also, if your office or uni/other is not near a station, there is another incentive to drive.
It is your attitude that ensures us suburbanites will continue to drive to the city because you just assume we all want to drive and we don't care about public transport.
And as for your remark about us only using the city for work.... how narrow-minded is that???
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Maybe you're right... Burscough has far better shops, restaurants, bars, clubs etc etc etc!!! So why would I want to go to Liverpool?!
Again, ridiculous.
Your counter-argument will include the word 'needs'. So in the inner city, do they not have basic food stores and supermarkets? If you lived near County Road or Smithdown Road, would you really have to go to the city to buy your 'needs'? People in the inner cities use the city for exactly the same reasons as suburbanites, so why do you keep separating the two? You have no consideration of the word 'integration'.
Trams will not fill the gaps of the suburbs, the lines would be too long and unnecessary. Trams are for the city. Therefore, open the NMB and Bootle Branch ASAP, as well as the Burscough Curves and Gateacre extension. Fill the suburban gaps with rail, fill the city centre gaps with some sort of innovative system - overhead, metro, trams, whatever - the key is getting people in (and out) and when they are there they should expect a nice rapid system for them. I say pedestrianise Ranelagh St altogether and create a tram station outside of Central, whisking people off in all sorts of directions. Good stuff.
Speaking of Gateacre, I don't know why people have been talking about the old CLC Line - that is long gone, except for the curve to Gateacre where we have the potential to create a large car park for park and ride. Anywhere north of there is too close to houses and it's a well used cycle path. It's like the old 'Get Rid of the Garage at Dingle Tunnel and Sod the Workers' attitude. As much as it'd be great it's not an over-riding priority. However, I do agree that the areas around that line, from Gateacre through West Derby, right up to Lydiate could do with a train service.
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