Bus services are limited in many parts of our National Parks and, despite being one of the most popular days for visiting, Sunday services are particularly scarce. Campaign for National Parks believe everyone should be able to access and experience these landscapes, no matter where they live. After all, one of the purposes of National Parks is to promote opportunities for enjoyment by the public. However, the lack of public transport can make it very difficult to visit, particularly for the thousands of households without access to a car.
Made possible by The Naturesave Trust, the Green Route to National Parks project – led by Campaign for National Parks – is gathering evidence and personal stories of the impact that a lack of Sunday bus services has on equal and sustainable visitor access. A digital map will identify areas poorly served by Sunday bus services and a targeted campaign will push transport authorities for significant improvements on Sundays. The project will also produce a guide highlighting National Park locations that are easy to visit car-free on Sundays to encourage use of the bus services currently available. The project will start with Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks, with support from the Dartmoor Preservation Association and the Exmoor Society.
Ruth Bradshaw, Head of Policy and Research at Campaign for National Parks said: “National Parks should be places for everyone to discover and enjoy, but currently too many people are prevented from visiting by the lack of convenient and affordable bus services. This funding will help us make a strong case for providing improved public transport seven days a week, something that will enable more people to visit these special landscapes without the increased carbon emissions, congestion and damage to wildlife associated with car travel – making it a win for people, nature and the climate.”
At Campaign for National Parks, we have already commenced work on our project with a survey asking people for their views on the Sunday bus services available in Dartmoor and Exmoor. Of the people we surveyed, more than half (52%) said the lack of bus services makes it impossible for them to travel around the National Park on a Sunday, and over a quarter (28%) said the limited bus services make it difficult. In addition, 79% of people would like to be using Sunday bus services to get to/from walks in National Parks, however only 40% are currently able to use these services. One of our respondents said, “Fear of being stranded if the bus doesn’t show up puts me off trying to use the Sunday services that do exist because of how infrequent they are.”
National Parks should be places for everyone to discover, yet without reliable and affordable public transport, visiting is restricted to those with access to private transport. Nationally 71% of leisure trips are made by car or van, yet nearly a quarter of households in England do not have access to a car, and this figure increases in many urban areas close to National Parks: 39% of households in Manchester are car-free.
Survey responseI really enjoy public transport and use it as often as I can. The ability to travel across and around Dartmoor on a Sunday would be fabulous. It would open up more of the moor to us, and mean we explore more.
Despite negative environmental impacts, those with access to cars often have no choice but to drive given limited public transport options © CNP
We believe a well-connected public transport network seven days a week could significantly reduce car dependency, protect wildlife, and open-up these breathtaking landscapes to more diverse visitors. We are very grateful to The Naturesave Trust for helping make this vision a reality by funding the Green Route to National Parks project.
You can stay up to date on our latest work in National Parks by signing up to our mailing list.
