Dear Jim - and copied to other key players because you must all act together to stop this nonsense
I now read the W Mids Comedy Authority is spending more tens of millions of taxpayers' money and an equivalent weight of GHG emissions, in persisting with the £15 billion, 150 miles, 8 lines of Metro light rail throughout the W Midlands by 2040 but, also an expensive rollout of Very Light Rail trams in Coventry to vie with Metro LR trams in Coventry and the region.
"The funding (£72 m) will also be used to develop business cases for further Very Light Rail lines, and for links with the existing West Midlands Metro network."
Links cannot work. Heavy-weight Metro light rail trams cannot possibly be run on VLR tracks but, in effect, this was what was put out in a press release from TfWM earlier this month that I read. It is either a lie, a genuine mistake or incompetence.
It is also very misleading or a downright lie or incompetence for TfWM/WMCA to put it about that LR/VLR will reduce our GHG emissions because it is electric. Cllr Jim O'Boyle said, “Of course, Coventry Very Light Rail is just one way that the council is working to improve air quality and combat climate change."
You cannot combat climate catastrophe by turning buses and trains into electric LR and VLR trams when both are more expensive in cost and in GHG compared with ordinary, regular electric buses that do without the railway tracks. And, it is more sensible, anyway to use regular trains on train/railway tracks and NOT what you have done on the UK's principal, mainline, 120 Kms Black Country Railway "of national strategic significance" with LR and VLR. Complete idiocy has been perpetrated. Another transport tragedy.
Please stick to getting buses and trains as popular and as good as, at least, the average on the mainland of Europe. Ditch tram and Sprint extensions. Fare-Free Public Transport for all in the region is vital and not just for my age group. And bus priority measures over thoughtless, selfish car commuters are basic but, still not done!
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT from all of us in the Climate Coalition for what you must do. I did not write it, apart from the tenth point:
Best wishes
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