2.19 The District is situated just inside the entrance to the South West peninsula and is often seen as being on the way to and from the South West holiday counties of Devon and Cornwall.

2.20 The area is well linked to other areas with 3 major railway lines with regular daily services to London, Exeter, Bristol and Weymouth. The A303 Trunk Road and A30 run east to west through the District, linking it with London and the South West peninsula and the cross country route from the Channel ports to the M5 motorway, via the A37/A358 dissects the district from south east to north west.

2.21 Coverage of public transport bus services is poor reflecting the geographically dispersed population and services are infrequent in all but the largest settlements. This compounds difficulties in accessing key services and facilities for the more vulnerable elements of the community, namely the elderly, young parents, children and mobility impaired.

2.22 Congestion issues are particularly concerning for settlements the size of Yeovil and Chard. Parking has been highlighted as problematic in several smaller settlements. The infrastructure plan identifies a number of key road and junction improvements which will be needed within the plan period particularly within Yeovil and Chard. There is heavy reliance on the car for journeys to work and services. This is a challenge for the District to move to more carbon friendly modes of travel.