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 | | Wednesday, 21 November, 2001, 07:19 GMT Report critical of transport services  The report says politicians should do more The standard of Northern Ireland's rural bus services compares poorly with those in Britain, according to a new report. A University of Ulster survey published on Wednesday said the executive at Stormont must tackle "discrimination" in transport provision. Academic Dr Liz Fawcett, a lecturer in the School of Communication, has outlined some of the results of the survey examining public attitudes on a range of issues, including transport. It was carried out by the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey team. The survey, a joint venture between the University of Ulster and Queen's University in Belfast - found more than two-fifths of rural respondents had no nearby bus services to take them to shops and other facilities. Residents The authors said that was in "stark contrast" to the rest of the UK where just 12% of rural residents were in a similar position.
The report revealed 25% of rural respondents did not drive a car. Dr Fawcett said: "There does seem to be a tendency among rural politicians to assume that everyone in their constituencies wants more by-passes built. "These findings suggest that a considerable proportion of people in rural areas don't drive and a significant percentage don't have any bus service close to hand." Age groups She said a number of other socially excluded groups were not properly served by public transport. "The survey data shows clearly that you're less likely to have access to a car or to drive if you're in a lower social class category, if you're a woman, or if you're in either the oldest or youngest age groups," said Dr Fawcett. "That means that all these groups rely more heavily on public transport." The academic said it was clear that those who suffered social exclusion in many other ways also suffered discrimination through the inadequate provision of public transport in Northern Ireland. "The Northern Ireland Executive is committed to tacking all forms of social exclusion - one hopes that it will put improving public transport near the top of its agenda." | | See also:  Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Northern Ireland stories now:  Links to more Northern Ireland stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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