The growing problem of 'transport poverty' in England has been highlighted in a new report. It says over 1½ million people are at serious risk of being cut off from work and healthcare because of the rising costs of owning and running a car, and a lack of alternative transport methods.

The report says the three indicators of transport poverty are: areas of low income (where the costs of running a car would place a significant strain on household budgets); areas where a significant proportion of residents live more than a mile from their nearest bus or railway station; and areas where it takes over an hour to access essential goods and services by walking, cycling or public transport.

Key points

• A quarter of English households have no access to a car, rising to almost two-thirds of job-seekers.
• Train travellers are seeing 'eye-watering' fare rises, and bus services are being cut across the country.
• Half of all local authorities in England have at least one area at high risk of transport poverty, often rural areas.
• The government needs to invest in public transport and safe walking and cycling routes, in order to give people alternatives to 'increasingly unaffordable' car ownership.

Source: Locked Out: Transport Poverty in England, Sustrans
Links: Report | Sustrans press release