City of Stoke-on-Trent Local Transport Plan 3 Focus Groups

AECOM <strong>City</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent Local Transport Plan 3 9Capabilities on project:Transportationget anywhere, I think that perhaps those are the areasthat I would certainly struggle.”The main reasons participants chose to walk or cycle wereconvenience and ease.“Well, I live in the town centre, so I can get to the doctor,the dentist, the chemist, post <strong>of</strong>fice, shops, cinema, allthese places in the town centre.”“I can generally get to the place I need to go withinwalking distance, so it just makes sense.”“Yes. I go out on my bike, if I had to go to Newcastle [-under-Lyme] I’d go quite a bit on my bike, I sometimestake the kids to school on the bike, just because it’seasier, it’s quicker, quicker than walking.”3.1.3 WomenThe majority <strong>of</strong> participants in the ‘women’ group found theplaces specified very easy to travel to, however a number <strong>of</strong>trips were felt to be either difficult or very difficult to access. Ofthose places that were difficult to access, all participantstravelled by car. The main reasons women travelled by carrather than walking or travelling by bus were habit,convenience and a lack <strong>of</strong> alternatives.“I think I’ve probably got out <strong>of</strong> the habit <strong>of</strong> using otherforms <strong>of</strong> transport like the buses, I don’t even know how<strong>of</strong>ten they run or if they get to the places that I want toget to. Whether that’s me not making some effort to findout or whether it’s because they’re not publicisedenough I’m not sure.”“I have my little girl with me most <strong>of</strong> the time as well, solong distance walking, it’s easier to go in the car,especially when it’s cold like now.”Rural areas were felt to be particularly difficult to accesswithout a car.“Where I live it’s kind <strong>of</strong> semi rural, so the buses don’tcome along all that <strong>of</strong>ten and you can’t really walk toanywhere, because it’s on the top <strong>of</strong> a really big hill, soit’d be a bit <strong>of</strong> a hike.”“Like the semi rural areas, like my husband used to livein Bignall End and I used to try and get to Bignall Endand go from Hanley into Bignall End is just a nightmareand Madeley is the same and Alsager’s Bank’s thesame, so I think when you said would you struggle toParticipants in the ‘women’ group felt that the bus service in<strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent was unreliable, infrequent and inconvenient.As such, the women would not consider travelling to work bybus. It was also felt that there were not enough alternatives tocar travel within the city and the alternatives that do exist wereunpleasant and <strong>of</strong> a poor standard.“I used to have some very bad experiences, before Ihad the car and I used to catch the bus around the city,it was a few years ago now, so I don’t know if it’simproved but I had a really rubbish few years on thebus, so that’s put me <strong>of</strong>f, really, but it really did, you hadto get two buses, you know, get a reconnection.”“Before I could drive, I used to have to get the bus towork and on numerous occasions the bus just didn'tturn up, so I’d be really late and I’d have to get a taxi inthe end and it cost a fortune.”“It puts you <strong>of</strong>f, though, doesn’t it when they’re packedand you’ve got to wait for ages.”“Other cities tend to sort <strong>of</strong> keep public transporttogether, so where the train station is you’ve got a busstation as well. Whereas like the one in Hanley, thetrain station or <strong>Stoke</strong> [-on-Trent], I suppose it is, there’sno bus station close by, so it’s not like you can jump <strong>of</strong>fa train and get straight onto a bus, you have to get ataxi if you haven’t got your own transport.”None <strong>of</strong> the participants had turned down an employmentopportunity because <strong>of</strong> travelling difficulties but two participantshad to alter their routine / working habits.