Stroud Town Council have issued a statement on the proposed closure of the ticket office at Stroud Railway Station.
STC STATEMENT
While Stroud Town Council welcomes the extension to the consultation around the proposed closure of the ticket office at Stroud Railway Station, it remains concerned about the lack of ways for people to respond.
“There are no plans to provide opportunities for people to talk about these changes face to face and it is a blanket coverage rather than a station focussed consultation,” said Town Mayor Stella Parkes.
“Without such detail how will GWR possibly know where responses are coming from or what station they refer to? It would be easy to forget to mention that we are talking about Stroud specifically.
“We welcome the time extension and hope that with it will come a broader, more indepth consultation, one that ensures that the voices of those people who need extra support are heard. Public transport should be inclusive to everyone and that cannot happen if consultations such as this are not equally inclusive.”
Councillors are concerned about the unreliability of the ticket machines and how present the current ticket staff would be on the platform if the proposals go ahead. It has asked GWR to enable the ticket machine to take cash.
The Town Council is committed to supporting measures to reduce climate change. Public transport plays an important role in reducing carbon emissions.To find out more about the proposals and to share your views, visit www.gwr.com/haveyoursay or www.transportfocus.org.uk/ticketoffices. You can write to ticketoffice.gwr@transportfocus.org.uk or write a letter to Transport Focus, PO Box 5594, Southend-on-Sea SS1 9PZ
