HS2 is merely a politicians' vanity project. With passenger numbers forecast to increase even further, the aim of current and future rail improvements should be to increase train, stations and line capacity; to make life more bearable for current and future passengers, not to shave half an hour off a single route from London to the north. There are already many environmental opponents to this vast waste of taxpayers money. Surely a majority of taxpayers would support using rail money in a far more efficient way.

Staffordshire County Council is proposing to charge £380 a year per child for transport where children are not attending the nearest school. The figure does not take proper account of income and could be increased. For thousands of families their nearest school is not the local catchment school there is no way of avoiding this cost. An estimated 72 schools are affected and could face losing pupils. http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Staffordshire-pupils-facing-pound-380-school-bus/story-19171776-detail/story.html In Perton where I live the nearest school is in Wolverhampton which is another Local Education Authority. We have no choice but to send children to Codsall if we want them to go to the local catchment school. The council is suggesting that pupils should walk to school if parents can't afford the transport costs or drive them, but with many of the those affected living in rural areas, walking along unlit 60 mile an hour roads is not a safe or viable option. It will also lead to a increased volume of cars on many roads causing disruption and congestion to other travellers. This policy is poorly thought through and unfair especially at a time when many families are already struggling to make ends meet.

East Sussex County Council want to build a link road from Bexhill to Hastings to regenerate the local area. On both counts, they are misguided. A landmark study from the University of Toronto (The Fundamental Law of Road Congestion: Evidence from US cities, 2010), showed that building more roads (or widening existing ones) leads to more traffic. The more roads you build, the more cars you have. And with cars comes more noise, more congestion, and more CO2. Indeed the Department of Transport has gone on record to say that the new road will be a significant producer of carbon emissions. But that’s not all. The new road will border Combe Haven nature reserve - disrupting wildlife and adding noise and pollution to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This is bad for animals, and humans who want to enjoy the outdoors. And it will destroy the original site of the battle of hastings. And it’s been assessed as number 39 in the 40 priority road schemes in the country We don’t need this road. We call on East Sussex County Council to stop this project and invest in quieter, cleaner, more equitable public transport. Not only will this reduce congestion much more effectively, it will improve access for everyone, just just those with cars.

The legal age for students to leave education is being raised to 17 and soon it will be 18. Starting from this September students are required to continue to some form of education for another year, however in Gloucestershire parents are still required to pay the £300+ (in some cases) for their children to continue on at school, even though they have no way of leaving education. Usually the lower stage of secondary school is free transport provided by the council, however now that students are required to stay on longer, this should also be provided free of charge.

Over one and a half million hydrogen powered vehicles could be on UK roads by 2030 according to a joint Government-industry study published today. The forecast is made in an interim report commissioned to evaluate the benefits of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and ensure the UK is well positioned for their commercial roll-out. For more see: http://news.bis.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=422877&SubjectId=2

We are local people, determined to prevent the environmentally disastrous white-elephant that is the “Bexhill-Hastings Link Road” from devastating one of Hastings’ and Bexhill’s most amazing natural treasures.We demand an affordable, sustainable transport system for our area, that improves the quality of all our lives without costing the earth.

We have just heard that Bradley Wiggins, victor of the Tour de France has been knocked of his bike on one of our roads. If he is not safe then who is? This would be a good time to bring this initiative forward. In this area of Wales there are wide margins on a number of roads where cycle/footpaths could be laid and the situation is similar in many other locations - this would be a start. It would reduce road casualties and allow children to go by foot and by cycle to school and so reduce the traffic of the school run. It would also create thousands of jobs.

20mph speed limits should be the norm in communties in Wiltshire, making them nicer, safer and healthier places to live. Many forward thinking Councils already have widespread 20mph limits and Wiltshire Council should follow their example.

This will reduce accidents,road rage and help traffic flow.

We have been in the Common Market for over thirty years and we have been made to accept many unwanted changes to our lifestyle and laws. The time has come for us to have some of the good things that the rest of our European Partners enjoy. In Belgium cyclists have right of way over motorists. In France cyclists know that they will be treated with respect by other road users. This is very noticeable, in most of the EU it is safe to cycle on major roads. Please act now, to encourage more people to feel it is safe to cycle on our roads.

Why should a select minority make a profit from services which we all need and which could, with proper strategic investment, make Britain a more competitive player in the world.