The suggestion that hopper buses should be introduced to carry commuters between their homes and Baildon station is an excellent one. Baildon is a fast-growing village with much of the development at the upper end, towards the moor. Yet the station is well down the hill - a 20-minute walk from the centre of the village and even further from many of the new homes.

It is not the only place around Bradford which has its station well away from where many members of the population live. Silsden and Steeton, Bingley, Shipley, Skipton, even Keighley...all these towns and villages suffer from parking difficulties and congestion as rail commuters use their cars to carry them from their homes to the station. In fact, the problem of getting to the station and finding somewhere to park is one reason why many commuters continue to make the full journey by car.

If the aim is to encourage as many people as possible to travel between home and work entirely by public transport, then the best way to go about it surely is to provide an integrated transport service, with regular bus services running to and from the local station to the areas where they live.

Metro, who are behind local bus and train services, say they are investigating the Baildon suggestion, which has come in the form of a 279-signature petition. If they do decide to introduce a hopper service, it will be up to those 279 people to make it a success to encourage Metro to look at similar schemes serving other parts of the district.

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