X @takaichi_sanae
During the summer vacation period, many people use public transportation both locally and while traveling.
You can live safely no matter where you live in the 47 prefectures. This is the image of the Japanese archipelago that Takauchikaku aims for.
This time, I would like to introduce the ``Revised Regional Transportation Law'', which was passed in the recent special Diet session and aims to secure ``traffic'' in the region amid a declining population.
"Regional transportation" is responsible for transportation that is essential to daily life, such as shopping, medical care, and education.However, due to population decline and a shortage of drivers and other personnel, a "transportation gap" is occurring across the country, with bus routes being suspended or abolished one after another.
In order to deal with this situation, the Revised Regional Transportation Act will create a new framework to eliminate the ``transport gap'' by ``fully utilizing local transportation resources,'' including not only buses and taxis, but also school buses and transportation for medical and welfare facilities. The new system will go into effect around the fall of this year, and we will support each region to utilize the new system smoothly.
In areas where there is a "transport gap," there are many cases where people rely on family members, especially working-age women, to pick them up and drop them off for daily shopping, going to the hospital, and going to school. Time that would normally be devoted to work or various local activities is lost due to transportation.
In this way, the "traffic gap" is not just a matter of restricting movement, but is having a major impact on local life and the economy, acting as an "invisible wall" that deprives communities and individuals of opportunities for growth. Some private estimates put the economic loss at around 10 trillion yen per year.
Resolving the "transportation gap" is truly a "growth investment." Looking beyond the ``intensive measures period'' until FY2020, the government will work as one to deepen and accelerate efforts by mobilizing all policy tools, including budgets and systems.
Notes
夏休み期間中、地元や旅行先で、公共交通機関を利用される方も多い時期かと思います。 47都道府県どこに住んでいても、安全に生活をすることができる。これが高市内閣の目指す日本列島の姿です。 今回は、先の特別国会で成立した、人口減少下での地域の「足」の確保に挑戦する、『改正地域交通法』についてご紹介します。 ｢地域交通｣は、買い物や医療、教育など日常生活に不可欠な移動を担っていますが、人口減少や運転者等の担い手不足等を背景として、バス路線等の休廃止が相次ぐなど、全国で「交通空白」が生じています。 こうした状況に対処するため、「改正地域交通法」では、バスやタクシーのみならず、スクールバスや医療・福祉施設等の送迎も含めた「地域の輸送資源のフル活用」によって「交通空白」の解消を図る新たな枠組みを創設します。本年秋頃に施行し、各地域で新制度を円滑に活用いただけるよう支援してまいります。 「交通空白」が生じている地域では、日々の買い物・通院・通学の移動を家族、特に現役世代の女性による送迎に頼るケースが多く見られます。本来ならば仕事や地域の様々な活動に充てられた時間が送迎のために失われています。 このように、「交通空白」は、単なる移動制約の問題にとどまらず、地域や個人の成長の機会を奪う「見えない壁」として、地域の生活や経済に大きな影響を及ぼしています。その経済損失は年間約10兆円に上るとの民間試算もあります。 「交通空白」解消はまさに「成長投資」です。 令和9年度までの「集中対策期間」の先も見据え、政府一丸となって、予算・制度等あらゆる政策手段を総動員して取組を深化・加速化させてまいります。