To 8 Dudley Cabinet councillors

Dear friends - have an opinion and tell me what you think.  Don't be afraid.

PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR HONEST OPINION!  PLEASE ENGAGE!  DEFEAT APATHY, ACQUIESCENCE, COLLUSION!

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Tim Weller <timweller1@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 13 May 2022 at 18:58
Subject: SAVE NATURE/CLIMATE CRISES AT MERRY HILL!

Cc: <Customer Services> <customerservices@tfwm.org.uk>, Customer Services at WMCA <customerservices@wmca.org.uk>, George Duggins <george.duggins@coventry.gov.uk>, Ian Brookfield <ian.brookfield@wolverhampton.gov.uk>, Ian Courts <icourts@solihull.gov.uk>, Ian Ward <Ian.Ward@birmingham.gov.uk>, Mike Bird <cllr.mike.bird@walsall.gov.uk>, Patrick Harley <Cllr.Patrick.Harley@dudleymbc.org.uk>, Rajbir Singh <Rajbir_Singh@sandwell.gov.uk>, Deborah Cadman <deborah.cadman@birmingham.gov.uk>, Dr Helen Paterson <Helen.Paterson@walsall.gov.uk>, Kevin O'Keefe (Kerry Jones) <Kevin.OKeefe@dudley.gov.uk>, Kim Bromley-Derry <Kim_BromleyDerry@sandwell.gov.uk>, Martin Reeves <martin.reeves@coventry.gov.uk>, Nick Page <npage@solihull.gov.uk>, Tim Johnson <tim.johnson@wolverhampton.gov.uk>

CABINET,

Do you think that the 400-metre canal bank that is the nearest thing that Merry Hill has to a wildlife site and public open space should be buried under concrete, brick and tarmac with a 400 metre, double track, railway viaduct for the Dudley Tram?  SEE TREES PHOTO, BELOW.

Or, could it stay on the railway line instead, to go down to Stourbridge Jct while still having a tram stop in Brierley Hill?

The plan that proves the scale of the destruction is here:

file:///C:/Users/Tim/Dropbox/My%20PC%20(LAPTOP-33T95TCE)/Desktop/WBHE%20plan%20for%20Merry%20Hill.jpeg

Please give your own views to the email addresses, above.  They are the West Midlands council leaders, chief executives and decision-makers.

ARTIST WANTED FOR CARTOON

My cartoon that needs the Telegraph's Matt-like skill to draw this:-

Transport officials peering down from a disused railway bridge upon a gridlocked motorway, scratching their heads & agonising about how to reduce congestion.

This refers to every tunnel, bridge and viaduct built over 120 Kms but 56 Kms in the middle are still without freight and passenger trains. Yet, it runs parallel to or, near to, traffic-choked main roads, M5 and M6!

'Ah! But you don't mention, Tim that trams must go on a total of 9 Kms', say the transport officials, as "Light rail investment provides the basis for restoring heavy rail services at the appropriate time."

However, the appropriate time has never come in 22 years.  And how eccentric and weird to think that a principal mainline railway "of national strategic significance" can only be finished with the rather vital freight and passenger trains and stations, by first putting 22 mph Metro trams and 17 tram stops on two nibble sized sections!!