Thousands more cars are on Bedford's roads than a decade ago as RAC warns public transport not up to scratch

Thousands more cars are owned by people in Bedford than a decade ago, new figures show.

Entire communities are facing little choice but to use a car, according to the RAC, which says drivers feel public transport "simply isn't practical or doesn't meet their needs" in many areas of the country.

Figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) reveal there were 106,741 car registrations for addresses in Bedford in June this year.

That number is up from 86,180 in 2010, an increase of 24 per cent, and could well grow with many people avoiding public transport during the pandemic.

It means there is one car for every 1.2 adults – the average for Britain is 1.7.

According to the Bank of England, personal contract purchase plans account for one in five new cars and the rise in popularity of these finance schemes that avoid high upfront costs may be contributing to the rise in ownership.

RAC’s Report on Motoring this year found 68 per cent of people said a car was essential for shopping and 59 per cent for meeting with friends and family elsewhere in the country.

Spokesman Rod Dennis said: “Even before the pandemic, drivers told us they were becoming more, not less reliant on their cars.

"It’s easy to see why. As well as the obvious benefits a car brings for families in particular, many drivers have felt for a long time that public transport either simply isn’t practical or doesn’t meet their needs, with services often seen as too expensive and running too infrequently.

"This is particularly the case outside larger towns and cities, where entire communities often have little choice but to use a car, and could help explain why car ownership is rising in many parts of the country."

Walking and cycling charity Sustrans says there is a risk people will be locked into car dependency unless councils provide viable alternatives by making walking and cycling safer for everyday journeys.

The figures from the DfT show that there were 32million cars registered across Britain in June, up from 28million in 2010.

The DfT says it is investing £27billion into its road network over the next five years.