Double decker buses scrapped from park and ride
The Stagecoach buses in Canterbury will be swapped with single-deckers and hopper buses as the city council aims to cut financial losses from the service.
The city's three park and ride sites were used about 20,000 times in February of this year, compared to 30,000 times in February 2020 shortly before the Covid-19 lockdowns.
A Canterbury City Council overview committee meeting was told the service currently loses more than £30,000 a month, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Councillors have backed the move to replace the double decker buses, with one remarking the existing buses are often seen with only "two people, a dog and a driver" onboard.
Just 17% of journeys in February were at the Sturry Road facility, which had been mothballed by the previous Conservative administration in 2022 but brought back by the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition after the April 2023 elections.
The site currently loses £28,735 a month – the majority of the council's £32,366 monthly shortfall from the service.
Other changes discussed included reducing the number of buses serving the Sturry road site from three to two.
Canterbury City councillor Andrew Flanagan said changes to the service were "a sensible approach to take" while Conservative councillor Jeanette Stockley expressed concerns over the effect of reducing the number of buses in Sturry Road.
The committee voted unanimously to recommend downsizing the fleet across all three sites, and replacing Sturry Road's buses with hoppers, but members were split on reducing the Sturry Road service.
A final decision on the changes will be taken by the city council's cabinet on 23 April.
Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
Park and Ride loses £30k per month
Parking hike plans scrapped amid business fears
Canterbury City Council
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
3 hours ago
- The Hill
Politics won't help the planet — just ask Jay Inslee
With passage of a federal budget that cuts subsidies for renewables like wind and solar and an executive order promising to 'end taxpayer support for unaffordable and unreliable 'green' energy sources,' climate activists are considering new approaches to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases. One such champion stepping forward is former Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee. Inslee made fighting climate change the rhetorical centerpiece of his time as governor and his short-lived presidential campaign. Inslee claims he made Washington state 'a leader' in the fight against climate change, and Time magazine gave him a 2025 Earth Award, saying the former governor 'believes in the power of local action.' Having worked on environmental policy for 25 years in Washington state, I can attest that following Inslee's lead would be a catastrophic mistake. In a recent editorial, he argued that Democrats should use climate change to 'win over young Trump voters.' His central, and repeated, error — the one he now encourages national climate activists to follow — is to treat climate change as a political tool, rather than focusing on effective solutions. In fact, Washington state's carbon dioxide emissions increased every year of Inslee's first decade in office, except 2020. The governor's policies were so ineffective that, in 2019, Florida's per capita CO2 emissions were actually lower than Washington state's, having been 10 percent higher just six years earlier. Florida, with no meaningful climate policy, outperformed Washington with Jay Inslee at the helm. Given a choice between candidly assessing the results of his policies and political expediency, the governor routinely chose politics. When he took office, Inslee promised to track the results of his policies, creating a web page that showed progress toward climate goals. He said the goal was to use that data to fix problems and improve outcomes. But in 2019, just prior to announcing his presidential campaign, Inslee's administration shut down the page. His administration was missing virtually all its targets, an embarrassing reality for the 'climate candidate.' Washington is now so far behind its 2030 emissions targets the state will have to cut CO2 emissions by the equivalent of three COVID-level pandemic shutdown reductions cumulatively. Washington's electric vehicle policy is another example of how the state has performed so poorly. Last year, Inslee announced a $45 million program of subsidies to help 'provide low-income Washingtonians access to electric vehicles.' The results were mixed at best, failing to 'ensure the rebates reached overburdened and vulnerable communities.' Governor Inslee deflects from those failures, instead focusing on the CO2 cap-and-trade system that took effect in 2023, promising that it will deliver results in the future. However, early results show projects funded by that system are failing to deliver emissions reductions. His own administration released a report showing that approximately two-thirds of the state's climate projects create no 'quantifiable emissions reductions.' The pattern has been to make bold statements and send out press releases claiming victory while repeatedly failing to deliver. With each failure, Inslee relied on partisanship to paper over policy failures. That approach earned Jay Inslee national attention and accolades. It did not, however, help the planet. This strategy is irresponsible and creates cynicism that undermines the ability to promote effective climate policy. Those who are sincere about climate and environmental policy are at a crossroads. They can take the route suggested by Inslee and put politics first, or they can honestly assess the record of the past two decades of climate policy and look for a better approach. Those who believe climate change is — as Jay Inslee has often said — an 'existential crisis' must live up to that rhetoric and ostracize self-serving politicians whose use of climate change as a political weapon has become a major barrier to addressing the problem. Politicians should look to companies like Microsoft and Amazon that invest in projects that are certified to reduce CO2 emissions — and if they don't, the funding is returned. Prioritizing efforts based on effectiveness and innovation, rather than political grandstanding, is the only way to responsibly reduce the risk from climate change. During the next three-and-a-half years of the Trump administration, those who care about reducing the risk from climate change can take the partisan (and failed) path that Inslee recommends. Or they can begin to find alternatives that aren't contingent on politics and, instead, focus on results. Todd Myers has worked on energy and environmental policy in Washington state for 25 years and is vice president for research at the Washington Policy Center in Seattle.
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Blame Canada: How Trump can help us from being smoked out of our summer
DETROIT — Smokey Bear famously said, 'Only you can prevent forest fires.' But because Canada has not put in an ounce of prevention — the smoke from its wildfires has invaded Michigan and other American skies for three straight summers — it will take a pound of cure to Make Michigan Summer Again. So it falls on the best dealmaker the White House has ever seen to make our northern neighbor an offer it can't refuse: Either Canada puts out the wildfires ASAP. Or the US military will, perhaps en route to Canada's annexation as the 51st state. Since the time of James Monroe, America has been jealous of the events within its hemisphere. Usually any problems emanate from parts south, whether it's fentanyl in Mexico or nuclear weapons in Cuba — not Canada. 4 With Canada not working to prevent wildfires, America's friend to the north has become a bad neighbor. AFP via Getty Images Any one summer of smoke can be understood, even excused. Things happen. Perhaps the second was a coincidence. But the third, as Ian Fleming would say, feels like enemy action. In just three years, America's friend to the north has become a bad neighbor. The Canadian Wildfire Information System shows moderate-to-high threats of fire danger in Ottawa, north of Michigan. In eastern Canada, above New England, the threats range from high to extreme. Esri Canada's map of active wildfires shows a problem from sea to smoke-covered sea. BBC calls 2025 Canada's second-worst wildfire season on record. Conservative member of Canadian Parliament Michelle Rempel Garner has joined the blame game, declaring an 'utter lack of action from the federal government' created the problem. 4 A haze of Canadian wildfire smoke blankets Detroit and creates poor air quality this month. AP Smoky summers were not a fixture of my childhood and cannot become a new normal for Michigan's children. Nobody in Lansing has any answers. I asked a friend at Michigan's environmental department what was being done about the wildfire smoke. I was told it had issued air-quality alerts. That's not exactly the proactive response we're looking for. 'In recent years, Michigan has seen unprecedented levels of wildfire smoke drifting across its communities and much of the rest of the country,' reads the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy website. 'In addition to pollutants like fine particulate matter carried in the smoke, there are gasses containing the chemicals that — when combined with sunlight — form ground-level ozone. These chemical reactions contribute to elevated ozone levels seen in areas across Michigan.' 4 Canadian wildfire smoke practically erases Detroit's skyline this month. UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has thoughts on everything from tariffs to the impact of the Big Beautiful Bill to the price of back-to-school gear. But she's been oddly silent on the smoke that falls on the Traverse City Democrat and the Midland-area Republican alike. Whitmer spent one-fourth of last year traveling abroad, and she is keeping a similar pace in 2025, according to her public calendar. Perhaps too many of her travels this year are to foreign lands and too few within Michigan, to take up the plight of the pleasant peninsulas. Whitmer met with President Trump this month at the White House. She apparently left her folder at home this time rather than hiding behind it. Reports say Whitmer spoke about the $50 million in disaster relief Trump already granted for a northern Michigan ice storm — from months ago. There is no evidence Whitmer spoke a word about the current problem. The Michigan and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources have sent waves of firefighters to Canada, but it's not enough. Whitmer doesn't want the smoke with Canada. And why would she? She's just a governor. She's not looking for an international incident, especially when playing on the perception that Trump and Canada are at odds due to tariffs. 4 There's no evidence Whitmer even mentioned the Canadian problem to Trump when they met recently. AFP via Getty Images Michigan Republicans haven't done much better. Rep. John James, who's running in the 2026 governor's race to replace Whitmer, sent Canada a strongly worded letter. Then he got the other six Republicans in Michigan's congressional delegation to join him in a second letter. But Canada is the wrong target. James doesn't need to send a letter up north. He needs to call his friend the president. Trump has an affinity for Michigan and finished all three presidential campaigns there. It would break the man's heart to know we are being smoked out of our summer. Canada can't be trusted to put out the wildfires. The provinces Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have banned camping and hiking rather than fight fire with water. Canada has taken an active disinterest in managing its problem. And now its problem has become our problem. When Trump gets involved, there won't be a problem. The wildfire smoke Canada treats as a gateway to authoritarian rule, offering another chance to order people to 'stay home and stay safe,' is a threat to our lives and livelihoods in Michigan. This aggression cannot stand. President Trump, it's time to make Canada an offer it can't refuse. James David Dickson is a podcaster and independent journalist in Michigan.
Chicago Tribune
7 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 receiving additional revenue from state's evidence-based funding program
As Gwen Polk prepares the budget she will present to the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education in September, she has learned that she has approximately $6.2 million in additional revenue courtesy of the State of Illinois' evidence-based funding program. Though every school district receives some of the $9.25 billion appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly, Tier 1 districts like Waukegan and North Chicago School District 187 face a harder time adequately funding education, including a smaller property tax base, and receive the most. When the Illinois General Assembly approved the final $350 million in May — $43 million was held for distribution at a later time — Lake County's 13 Tier 1 districts and the Regional Office of Education were awarded 87.5% of the county's total, with District 60 getting 38% — $6.2 million. Polk, District 60's associate superintendent for business and financial services, said the proposed budget currently sits at slightly less than $327 million. With COVID-19 federal relief funds no longer available, the additional money from the state is a big help. 'We're all affected by the fiscal cliff,' Polk said, referring to the federal money schools received nationwide. 'The increase (from the state) is going to help.' Lake County's 47 school districts and the Regional Office of Education collectively received just under $16.3 million in additional evidence-based funding earlier this month from the state, bringing its total to more than $562 million to augment their budgets. For the Waukegan public schools, Polk said evidence-based funding provides for more than half of its total revenue, which also includes property tax income. The approximate district-wide enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year is 14,000. By contrast, Barrington Community Unit School District 220, a Tier 4 district — they receive the smallest amount of evidence-based funding — with approximately 8,100 students, received just over $6.5 million. State Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, said evidence-based funding became law in Illinois in 2017 to help all schools get to a level of funding to adequately educate youngsters. 'Education is the great equalizer,' Johnson said, 'If students' schools are adequately funded they they get the support and resources they need. This helps students in low-income areas get those resources.' Originally proposing $550 million for the final round of evidence-based funding, Johnson said that with a tight state budget, $350 million was the most she and her colleagues could get passed. In Waukegan, like most school districts, the bulk of the budget goes toward salaries and benefits for teachers, staff, and administrators. The current evidence-based funding is 4.1% more than a year ago, but not close to full adequacy. With the largest share of evidence-based funding in Lake County, District 60's adequacy level is 72%, well below the ideal amount. Barrington's adequacy level is 119%. Some of the highest adequacy levels are found where the property values are also high. Leading Lake County in adequacy is Rondout School District 72 at 255% which includes parts of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Green Oaks, and Mettawa. Bannockburn School District 106 is at 202% while Lake Forest High School District 115 is at 193% and Township High School District 113 serving Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools is at 190%. District 187 Principal John Price said the adequacy level in North Chicago dropped from 78% to 71%. A year ago, there was a large influx of migrant children that is not the case this year. The district is receiving $1.67 million, the second-highest amount in Lake County. Price said District 187's budget is approximately $80 million, and its evidence-based funding totals just under $40.1 million.
