MANY of us enjoy the luxury of having our own transport to get us about. Even if it is not always that easy due to congestion or the state of the roads. But we should spare a thought for those who do not have cars, or can’t drive – particularly if they live in Plains.
Local councillor David Cullen and I have been calling for a station to be put in the North Lanarkshire village. It’s on a busy line between Edinburgh and Glasgow but the train does not stop there. That might just about be okay if there was a regular and reliable bus service but there isn’t. The village might as well be on the other side of the country.
There is a bus, contracted by SPT, which is meant to run once an hour but which sometimes doesn’t. Once an hour is a poor service if you just want to pop into Airdrie for shopping or an appointment for, say, the GP. It’s even worse if you just happen to miss the bus, or it doesn’t turn up. Local councillors, including my friend councillor Cullen, are aware of the issue and are dealing with it. I will seek meetings too because it is simply not good enough. There are people in Plains who are effectively cut off from the outside world and that must change.
The outlying villages of Longriggend, Upper Town and Greengairs are also very poorly serviced by public transport. There should at least be a feeder bus to Drumgelloch station from places like Stand, Riggend and Greengairs. Public transport is a lifeline for some people and there are parts of North Lanarkshire which deserve much better.
I took a family break to Spain and Portugal at the start of July and switched off. While I was away a piece appeared in this paper about a meeting I chaired as part of the campaign to save greenbelt from development between Calderbank and Carnbroe. Some comments in it were very personal and questioned my motives. They are these: I believe green spaces should be protected. They are vital to our physical and mental health. I believe we need more housing but it must be in the right places and not in the greenbelt. Those views are not contradictory. I will continue to fight for this precious area to be protected, whatever anyone says. And I won’t make it personal.