A council leader has criticised a study claiming that Lichfield has one of the worst cities for public transport in the UK.
Research carried out by CMAC Group analysed data on 76 UK locations relating to accessible bus and coach transport stops, as well as how well they were connected by rail.
While major hubs such as London, Birmingham and Leeds topped the table, Lichfield found itself tenth from bottom in the study.
The only locations deemed to have worse public transport links than Lichfield were St Davids, St Asaph, Westminster, Ripon, Swansea, Peterborough, Wells, Bangor and Ely.
Peter Slater, CEO of transport solutions firm CMAC Group, said:
“This data prompts conversations about the critical role public transport plays in the country’s economy and daily life.
“There’s a clear challenge faced by residents and commuters in cities with inadequate public transit infrastructure, leaving them to face long wait times and limited connectivity, impacting their ability to access employment and education opportunities, and essential services.
“There’s a need for policymakers and local authorities in the underperforming cities to prioritise investments in public transit infrastructure to ensure equal access to transportation for all residents.”
Peter Slater
But Cllr Doug Pullen, leader of Lichfield District Council, said the findings from the data were questionable.
“The supposed findings of this report would make even an amateur statistician blush.
“It’s hardly surprising that volumes of bus and coach travel are smaller in smaller cities and larger in big cities.
“I’d suggest CMAC have their marketing department come up with some more insightful data for future studies.”
Cllr Doug Pullen
The full report is available here.
