Transport

Download flyer as a PDF below

There are two major transport issues that I know are close to the hearts of residents of Esher and Walton: trains and planes. The proposed expansion of Heathrow with a third runway will have huge impacts on residents’ noise levels and air quality, particularly in Molesey, and is a terrible decision for the environment and climate change. Meanwhile our trains just don’t work, affecting our ability to get to where we need to bel on a daily basis. Here’s where I stand on both.

Southwestern Railway’s service

I’m campaigning with Ed Davey and our other local Liberal Democrat PPCs to stop the planned December rail strikes. Local businesses will be hit by these strikes, with Christmas shoppers being deterred and commuters unable get to work promptly. School children may have their education disrupted if they cannot get to class on time.

We have written to South Western Railway and the RMT Union to demand that they return to the negotiating table, secure a resolution to the ongoing industrial dispute, and call off the strikes immediately. We have also set up a petition so that everyone can support the campaign.

People in Esher and Walton have put up with failing rail services for far too long. It is self-indulgent for South Western Railway and the RMT Union to blame each other and allow the impasse to continue. If they cannot reach agreement now, both sides should commit to resolving their differences through independent mediation and arbitration, not holding local people to ransom.