Community Spirit Action Group

On Wednesday evening I attended a meeting of the Community Spirit Action Group which covers the northern part of the West End ward.  It was once again an excellent chance to listen to the concerns of local people.

Much of the discussion was about how unsatisfactory bus services are for this part of the ward.  The what seems like the umpteenth year in a row changes made by Xplore Dundee and Stagecoach are taking away services from local people.  Many of these people are elderly or less mobile and cannot walk distances to the areas of the ward where there are relatively good bus services.  My view on this is clear we need regulation in the bus industry.  The market does not provide services that meet the needs of all the people in the West End.  At the same time as bus companies focus on profitable routes the bus industry receives hidden subsidies from the public purse, Dundee City Council pays for the infrastructure of bus stops and information boards for example.  We need action to improve bus services.

There were also issues raised about recycling and the plethora of roadworks which have been disrupting the area recently.