A RECENT stay in London opened my eyes with regard to transport and the huge contrast between the situation in the Metropolis and country life here in the Tenbury area.

In London, in my view, we have a first-class public transport system. The frequent and immaculate buses, using bus lanes, are perfect for getting around. Try driving, however, and it’s a different story. The density of traffic is colossal. It is necessary to have your wits about you. Driving at any speed is impossible although several boroughs have introduced a blanket speed restriction of 20mph.

The real menace are cyclists, they’re everywhere. Most seem to be unaware of their own safety and many do not even bother to wear safety helmets!

Getting to London and back necessitates the use of motorways, statistically the safest place to drive a car. There is a lack of patience on occasions with the odd driver undertaking or driving too close. A few cars drive well beyond the 70mph speed limit. However, driving standards are pretty good with most cars driving a safe distance behind you.

I opted to go on a Speed Awareness Course once after a minor demeanour and was most impressed with what I learned and have subsequently put into practice.

So contrasting this with the situation here in the countryside. Regular bus services severely reduced due to cut backs in spending by the county council. Thank goodness we have the Tenbury Transport Trust working hard for the community in this respect.

We have considerable numbers of drivers exceeding speed limits through our villages as evidenced by the recent article in the Advertiser concerning St Michael’s. There are unrealistic speed limits everywhere. In a village close to Tenbury the speed limit is 40mph but where driving at that speed would overturn a car. Why do we have the crazy 60mph limit which applies to our inadequate country lanes where most accidents occur?

When are local authorities and the government getting together to provide commonality and realistic guidance?