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Does anyone know where I can access any resources on how Nottingham developed its public transport netowork to what it is now? It is arguably the 3rd best system in the UK (behind Manchester and London) despite being the 9th largest city. With austerity getting worse in this country, I wonder if there's anything worth learning about how to establish good public transport on a budget. Maybe similar sized cities like Leicester or even bigger like Leeds can adopt some of the strategies that made Nottingham into an easy place to travel around without a car.

The UK has some of the worst public transport of Europe's "more economically developed countries" after decades of austerity and lack of investment into public services. But which local councils would you say have made the most out of what they have had to work with in developing a transport network that is effective for people to get to work, school and social events? What would you say makes each of them so effective and how did they achieve these things? I have excluded London as the UK (in my opinion) has a problem with pretending like London is the only place worth investing in when it comes to public transport.

I ask this question so that we can reflect on how places can make the average citizen's life easier for getting about whilst on a budget. Even though the UK is in dire straights at the moment, it might be worth looking to the towns and cities that make the most out of what they're given to understand how to develop good public transport (which will inevitably develop those micro-economies)

Thanks.

Sometimes when watching videos on effective ways of public transport and trams come up, I get a bit annoyed at people not addressing the fact that they seem to share the road with cars. Why do people twerk for trams so much as a form of light rail if they share the road with cars and are subject to being affected by traffic? Doesn't that just make them rail buses without their own bus lane? Doesn't that make them more obsolete? Why do people like them so much?

Edit: Also, does anyone have any resources about the cost to benefit ratio of different intratown/city forms of transport (bike lanes, BRT, trams and other forms of light rail, subways etc)? Would be much appreciated.

I live in the UK and my town has not got transport that allows mobility for all. No bike lanes (and if they exist they're just painted on the road), no bus lanes (buses get stuck in the same rush hour traffic and everyone else which doesn't incentivise people to take them) and these buses are also unreliable and infrequent. What makes it worse is that my local council is right leaning. How do I hold my local council accountable to implementing even the cheapest solutions to traffic and transportation? How can I lead to public transport change in my community?