"WHAT WE DO" - by the W Mids Combined Authority

WHAT WE DO can be much better - quotes from https://www.wmca.org.uk/what-we-do/

THE TOP, THE FIRST AND FOREMOST EXPENDITURE BY WMCA is transport!

"Combined Authorities exist to grow economies in their regions. They invest in things like transport, skills and well-being. West Midlands Combined Authority was created to deliver an ambitious plan to drive inclusive economic growth in the region."  Growth = Greed and taking from future generations.

MY BLUE ANSWERS: The local councillors are subsumed, assimilated into the CA to do its bidding without question. No checks or challenges or a murmur of disapproval from a single one.

TOP TO DO IS TRANSPORT!!  To spend our taxes on replacing and duplicating first train services and then bus routes with the second most extravagant transport mode to construct after High Scam 2.  Even more expensive per Km than most maglev projects in China, Japan and South Korea.

WHAT THEY DO:"Our goal is to create a world-class transport system. To achieve this, we're investing £5 billion across nearly 200 transport projects between now and 2026."

"Together we’re building £1.3 billion of new tram extensions in the West Midlands."

At the top of the WMCA top to do list is continuing with the rebuilding of the tram network instead of addressing the more urgent transport problems of congestion and air pollution by having as the top priority increasing bus use at the expense of car use.  And, putting trains and stations back instead of trams!

THREE SUGGESTIONS instead of panel lottery:

Next on the CA to do list must be on insisting that elected councillors decide policy and ensure that its the elected political party's manifestos that is implemented and not the officers' ideas.

The Climate Coalition's Nine Action Points must be discussed, debated and voted on by CA councillors.

 Nine Action Points from W Mids Climate Coalitio...

 Bus and businesses at the centre of a virtuous ...

A public forum item at the beginning of every committee agenda must be allowed and encouraged instead of the undemocratic lottery of a Citizen's Panel making decisions.  I believe, only Dudley Council has a public forum item on agendas of some committee meetings.  Open government and good governance is crying out for it - if active citizens would only use it.

Tim Weller

More walking and cycling to preserve your Highways for you!

16 August 2021

More walking and cycling to preserve your Highways for you!

You want more spending on Highway repairs, which is certainly needed.  However, I want to remind you of the 9 Aug IPCC report that, yet again, told us of the urgency to change our priorities from the industrial growth and economic expansion that has gone on for 250 years.  It is bringing disastrous changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere to threaten all life on earth.  Yet, climate science was born in the 1850s and has been confirmed as being correct ever since.  But it has changed nothing.

We can help ourselves by showing self-restraint, by cutting back on our own movement around the planet and, by giving top priority, instead to food freight and other urgent supplies.  I am setting a fine example of what I think we all need to do, by cutting my car mileage by 50% on what I drove in 2019, keeping to 65 mph on 70 mph roads to return over 70 mpg in my diesel car - and, by cutting out all short trips.  I am not driving when I can walk, cycle electric free or, use buses and trains.

I am driving into north Worcestershire and south Shropshire instead of much further afield; then, using my 100% self-powered bike to begin the start of my walk to further cut back on my own greenhouse gas emissions.  In doing so, I have discovered the missing and closed footbridges in Shropshire that then lead to closed public rights of way on either side of the unusable/missing bridges.  The R Rea is a case in point; one Grade 2 listed canal bridge collapsing completely and, one missing south of Neen Sollars to Newnham Bridge.  My suggestion is this.

All of you proper politicians want taxes kept as low as possible, even for the wealthy like me.  Therefore, you don't have the money to maintain public rights of way and footbridges that are all part of the public Highway.  Perhaps, you could have a campaign to appeal to taxpayers like me to sponsor a particular bridge or adopt footpaths in a division of Shropshire.  What do you think?  Many of the wealthy have more money than they know what to do with.  You have a duty to encourage them to use the money responsibly, than wastefully accumulating it to no good end.

I have already promised to your Richard Knight and Lezley Picton £1,000 towards the reinstatement of the long since washed away bridge, near Neen Sollars and Marlbrook.  Find 50 more people like me and the public footpath and bridge will be reopened.  Then, you will need to re-point, the fast deteriorating 19th-century brick bridge that carries the same public right of way over the wasted railway line from Cleobury Mortimer to Newnham Bridge.  Or, do that job first, please!

We need to quickly move out of the unfortunately finite and foolish, fossil fuel age.  I can see no alternative than using feet, cycles and horses, once more.  Your fine Highway of public rights of way will then become pretty essential!

WBHE Four Options

 THE FOUR OPTIONS

1. Terminate the trams in Dudley town centre with Phase 1 complete and cancel Phase 2.  The best for climate.
2. Do Phase 2 when you have all the money - to Cottage Street.  The most expensive in terms of money and in worsening your declared climate emergency.
3. Terminate Phase 2 at Level Street, halfway between the shops and the Waterfront.  Saves building the second canal bridge and 400 m viaduct.  Saves money and greenhouse gas emissions.
4. Build Phase 2 so the trams stay on the railway line to connect with the national railway network at Stourbridge Jct and run the freight trains at night.  Saves building both canal bridges and the viaduct.  Saves money and greenhouse gas emissions.

My virtuous circle

 Thanks, John.

• I'm suggesting a virtuous circle by more reward than penalty to educate and appeal to car commuters that they must free up the limited road space for essential business vehicle users, like buses, HGV drivers, district nurses, midwives etc who have to use their vehicles.
• These drivers must register to have the right to drive in daytime, Mon to Fri, because of their work.
• The car commuters who do not register are then picked up by CCTV and fined.
• The money goes to Fare-Free Public Transport for all and the phasing out of diesel buses for electric.
• Essential vehicles use the nearside and overtaking lane with traffic light priority for them.
• Car commuters who pay the penalty every day are only allowed to use the overtaking lane.
• This encourages more people to leave their cars at home and jump on a free bus, train, tram throughout the region.  
• Thus healthier, safer communities that are doing more to slow the climate crisis/breakdown and resource depletion.
  

What do you think?

to High Speed Rail Group

BUT CLIMATE SHIFT MATTERS MUCH MORE - and being less greedy, selfish and thoughtless matters even more.

Thanks, John and I've read the article.  The UN IPCC reports, since its formation in 1988, have made things crystal clear that we have to reduce our travelling around the planet and not have even more high speed travel to eventual extinction.

There will be some, but little modal shift when there are no intermediate stations apart from the two airports and three terminal stations.  They give increased choice and definitely NOT any increased capacity.  Only some trains will stop in terminal Brum and intermediate Crewe.  A railway line that serves so few people because there are so few stations on such a short line, must be folly in the extreme.  Especially, when £1 expenditure = 1 lb in weight of ecocidal greenhouse gas emissions.  This equation is a sensible rule of thumb on which to base all decisions, such is our fatal and almost 100% addiction to finite fossil fuels.  This will be humanity's undoing to make our tenancy on planet earth a good deal shorter than the very successful dinosaurs that we so decry!

The very people who are giving us High Scam 2 are the very people who, with their predecessors, stupidly obliterated about one third of the national railway network when Richard Beeching sensibly closed them.  The man did not want their complete wipe out.

Seven Dudley borough railway lines have been built on or, are impossible to bring back for trains or trams.  About 100 Kms destroyed in the West Midlands.  Complete idiocy.

ME: The more we spend, the more we burn fossil fuels, it seems to me.  Have I got this right, Jonathon? SELF, 16 February 2019

PORRITT'S reply: “More or less right! … ” 

"Just one caveat: as we decarbonise our grid, we’ll obviously be burning rather less of the reserves of remaining fossil fuels, and relying more on green electrons. But the rule of thumb still holds for the time being!"  Sir Jonathon Porritt 17 Feb 2019

to Mark Richards re carbon, trams and Porritt

Hi Mark

It was brilliant to read your email.  Thanks so much.

What I have been on about since the 1990s is this:

QUESTION:

When the authorities have built a principal mainline railway between Derby, Dudley and Devon or, Burton on Trent, Brierley Hill and Bristol but, in the middle, a 56 Kms length of double track railway line is there but not used, what would you do with those unused railway lines, Mark?

ANSWERS to choose from:

(a) Cycles and for walking, horse riding?

(b) 22 mph average speed trams that stop more frequently than buses?

(c) Commuter/regional/intercity passenger trains and for freight trains?

(d) Trees and shrubs?

(e) Fresh air?

The experts have chosen a, b, d and e.  What would you choose, Mark?

You wrote, "Public transport is obviously central to the CO2 reduction plans."

Does that mean building £100 billion HS2, £15 billion Metro network and £1 billion Sprint network?

Or, does it mean using that money for urgent retrofitting and modal shift to the workhorse of public transport, the bus.  Plus, car commuters rewarded with leaving their cars at home with bus-priority measures, AND the Fare-Free Public Transport that I've had for 15 years?

See you Monday.

Tim

PS bonus from my mentor and hero!

ME: The more we spend, the more we burn fossil fuels, it seems to me.  Have I got this right? SELF, 16 February 2019

PORRITT: “More or less right! … ” 

"Just one caveat: as we decarbonise our grid, we’ll obviously be burning rather less of the reserves of remaining fossil fuels, and relying more on green electrons. But the rule of thumb still holds for the time being!"  SIR JONATHON PORRITT, 17 Feb 2019

On Fri, 24 Mar 2023 at 16:39, Mark richards <markrobsearby64@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Tim, I hope you’re well, apologies for the delay in replying, it’s partly that I’ve been on a break and not looking at my emails and partly that this issue is so complex that I don’t have time to engage my head in it fully.
I appreciate your commitment to it and your ability to hold all of that detail (!!!) but I have to admit that I get a bit lost with it.
I didn’t want to be ignoring you.
I am clear that it’s madness to create all those miles of transport and not link up to Stourbridge Junction, which has direct trains to London and out to Worcester and beyond.
I also agree with you that it’s lunacy not to use existing lines for any new transport links.
The rest of the detail I’m not so familiar with, but it’s clear that you’ve studied it all.
I think that it’s going to be tough changing their plans at this stage.
It might be possible to open a dialogue with them about protecting and replanting the green spaces.
At the moment my spare time is taken by Friends of the Earth projects around climate change, retro fitting of houses (Warm Homes campaign) and plastic.
Public transport is obviously central to the CO2 reduction plans.
I looking forward to seeing you at Scrutiny on Monday.
All the best,
Mark

Sent from my iPhone

to Ian Ward re WBHE Phase 2

Thanks, Ian for the email.

I wrote to train driver of 44 years, Dave Parsons who wrote back this evening:

"I agree that the tram should stop at the new bus/ tram interchange in Dudley & the £60M should be spent on better things like the reinstatement of platform 4 at Snow hill station.

"Ongoing work along the proposed route of this line from Dudley to Brierley Hill should also cease immediately.

Just laying the groundwork for this route, ie, the road works in Brierley Hill is causing unnecessary chaos and delays, and causing frustration to people who are aware that it’s the proposed metro extension that’s costing a fortune, that nobody wants on their doorstep."

By Express and Star - Peter Madeley   Published: Jul 21, 2022:

"It means the Wednesbury to Dudley stretch will proceed as planned – at a projected cost of £385m – while the rest of the route to Brierley Hill is put on hold. ... It said splitting its construction into two phases would result in costs increasing further, with phase one from Wednesbury to Dudley now budgeted at £385m."

£385m divided by 5.3 Kms on an existing railway line "of national strategic significance" = £72.6m/Km.  Compare this with the mostly rebuilding of the Southern Uplands, Borders Railway when it opened in Sept 2015, at £7m/Km!!

Edinburgh Conservative Group opposed their two tram projects on grounds of cost, as I would have expected from traditional, wise spending Tories.

 Edinburgh Conservative Group OPPOSES their tram...

Best wishes

to Ian Ward re OWW Railway Co and Parkhead

Very many thanks, Ian for letting me know.  You are very decent and highly capable and respected.

£60 m is nowhere near enough, I would have thought.  A pittance, especially when Phase 2 is the most costly and difficult half to achieve, I've always thought.

£60 m must be used for one of my three options to be delivered, please.  Preferably option One and the £60 m returned to HMG!  Or, you ask for it to be used for the world's first train-tram-train mainline railway between Great British Railways HQ at Derby, Walsall, Dudley, Stourbridge and on to Worcester, Bristol/Oxford ... London.

WBHE Phase 2 is still irresponsibly expensive and disastrous when it destroys the only public open space at Merry Hill with the 400 m viaduct and two oblique canal bridges, the desperately needed housing land at High Plateau, nature in one of the most nature depleted countries in the world (Attenborough) and, my magnificent vertical guerrilla garden I would love to show you, Ian.  Five councillors have had the decency to visit, with me - including your Opposition leader.  Don't miss a treat!!

It is scandalous that the Parkhead Viaduct work is being paid for out of the WBHE money for, officially, now £550 m (2020?), I understand.  Network Rail should have done the work in order to reinstate the commuter, regional and freight trains between Gt British Railway HQ in Derby and Worcester.

In 2013 or 2014, I can remember Toby Rackcliff, at 16 Summer Lane, telling me that Parkhead strengthening would be £10 m, he thought.  I believe, it is still nowhere near finished.  I shudder to think what the cost is, so far.  Network Rail palmed it off onto yourselves and you should never have allowed it, accepted it and, certainly not for trams.  You were sold, or given, a pup, I'm sad to conclude.

For about 100 years, Dudley Station (not tram stop!) Parkhead Viaduct and Stambermill Viaduct were all used very successfully for passenger and freight trains by the Oxford, Worcester, Wolverhampton Railway Company.  It is quite scandalous the destruction of seven Dudley railway lines and about 100 Kms in our region, I would guess.  100 Kms are still available for the reinstatement of trains.  But they must have top priority NOT trams, please my friend.

Very best wishes.  You are a busy man, I know.

Tim

On Wed, 22 Mar 2023 at 19:11, Councillor Ian Ward <Ian.Ward@birmingham.gov.uk> wrote:

Tim

 

The recent Devo deal has provided money or the promise of money for the Brierley Hill Metro extension.

 

Ian

 

From: Tim Weller <timweller1@gmail.com>
Sent: 22 March 2023 17:31
To: <Customer Services> <customerservices@tfwm.org.uk>; Councillor Ian Ward <Ian.Ward@birmingham.gov.uk>
Subject: 3 option suggestions to save money and greenhouse gas emissions

 

The Dudley Tram is so very expensive that WMCA transport lead, Cllr Ian Ward, has personally told me that there is still no money for the section from Dudley Transport Interchange to Cottage Street, Brierley Hill.  Therefore, the authorities can save £100 m by either:

1. Leave the tram to terminate in Dudley town centre when it opens next year.
2. Take the tram on down Flood Street to Cinder Bank roundabout where it is planned to rejoin the former mainline railway and, then keep it on the double tracks to Stourbridge Jct to connect with the national railway network.  Freight trains will have to operate at night - no great hardship.
3. Keep to the original plan but let it cross the Dudley No 1 Canal once only and, then, terminate it between the shopping centre and the Waterfront - at Level Street, halfway between them.  This saves about £100m from not having to build the 400 metre concrete and steel, double track viaduct and the second canal crossing.

Tim

High Scam 2 is bereft of stations

What other stations can you see on the HS2 route map, apart from the four terminals, two airports, Crewe and Old Oak Common?

Don't the other intercity train services still need to have a service of some kind?

HS2 is a nice service for intercity plane passengers to have a break from the plane, every so often, so as to try the train?

One radical approach to getting on with others!

20th anniversary, today of our so well-intentioned invasion of Iraq to bring peace and tranquility to Saddam's country.  Unfortunately, our own precious men, women and children were killed in revenge - even in our own UK.

Try nonviolent resistance, non collaboration and making/keeping friends rather than provocation and making enemies!

Simple - don't go to war because it breeds resentment and revenge in the losing side: eg in 1919 with Germany and in Russia in the 1990s at Russia's ending of the Cold War. Triumphanalism instead of magnanimity by the West - and much else.

Just do what Jesus says and did. Simple!!

to Sandra Green re King Bus and HS2, Metro, Sprint at the bottom of the prestige pile

Until upright, honest people put a stop to the fraudulent, financial abuse of billions in price and in weight of greenhouse gases going into High Scam 2, Metro and Sprint, buses will continue to lurch from one 3 monthly handout to another and buses will continue to be the forlorn, forgotten, Cinderella mode that gets stuck in traffic as car commuters block its path and business vehicles are hindered.

Literally, a handout of billions for Metro tram and Sprint extensions that destroy railway lines, destroy nature and create more congestion and mayhem in their construction and use.  Fare-Free Public Transport of the kind that I have had for 15 years must be given to ALL.

Dudley No 1 Canal embankment, public open space and lots of nature at Merry Hill SC all get spoilt or obliterated by tram construction.  Already, the UK's very last principal mainline railway "of national strategic significance" has been destroyed by Metro largesse given to build the trams.  As well as to bring in multi-modal rail transport hubs to make for more changes and delays in our journeys.

A public marketing campaign to shame the thoughtless, selfish car commuter who clogs up the roads must be mounted to reward them with free bus, train and tram travel in the region if they leave their beloved in the garage.

BUS at the top of the prestige pile and High Scandal 2, Metro and Sprint at the bottom!

Tim Weller

to John Davison re HS2, Metro, Sprint

How does it release capacity when all the intercity stations that are bypassed will still need some kind of a train service.  See the route map on the official HS2 website.

Since the end of the war, railway lines have been closing more rapidly and accelerated after Beeching's very proper closures.  It is the deliberate idiocy of building on the closed railway lines by railway enthusiasts, unions, workers, managers and politicians that is still ongoing (with the 120 Kms Black Country Mainline) that has meant that a capacity of about one-third has been lost on the railway network.

Capacity only increases and is greatly enhanced for the plane flyers between London, Brum, Manchester.  They have a choice of either plane or train.  It gives them an additional transport mode and an unjustifiable duplication like Metro and Sprint do for bus passengers.  Chris Packham is, therefore, right when he says it is more of a plane than a useful train service!

The 4 Bs to free up road space

Metro or Sprint?  And the 4 Bs to deter car commuters

How do you decide when to put in a tram that UK Tram (at your HQ at 16 Summer Lane?) has described as "a bus on rails" ('Today' interview at the time of the 2016 Croydon tram ​crash when 11 died out of 69 passengers) on a dedicated bus lane with steel tracks or, a Sprint (the bus that thinks its a tram) on an additional dedicated bus lane without steel tracks?

Does both mean taking front gardens, landscaping, car parking, drives for the new lane?  Like the planned felling of 1,000 trees/shrubs for the Hagley Road Metro extension to the Kings Head, Bearwood?

Would the existing, nearside lane dedicated to bus and pre-registered business users be more helpful in weaning car commuters into Platinum buses to free up road space for genuine, essential business users​ - with traffic light priority for them​?  Bus/business lanes covered by cameras to catch the driver who only commutes to avoid using the bus, train, tram even when Fare-Free Public Transport is the BIG BRIBE

2 Bs = bus on rails, the bus that thinks its a tram,

plus bus, business = 4 in total.

Or, 6 if you include Big Bribe!

to Ed Cox re jargon in too lengthy reports and no summary

Good morning.  Please answer these queries.  Ed, what do you make of this?  Reform?

How can lay people, some of whom must be in other employment, understand the long, detailed reports you write and send to the Committees and Boards?  The writing is far from being in plain English and must be designed to be covert and only easily understood by the insider professional.  Words used, 'descope', 'soft contingency',  'a change control application',  'deprioritised'   and much more to obscure and confuse.

How can lay councillors get their heads round such jargon or even have time to try and understand what is being written?

"... the substantive budget pressure has been assessed at £125.7m."  Does that mean the transport budget debt/overspend?

"the gross urgent cost pressure of £75.7m can be reduced by £8.3m to £67.4m."  In 5.5 now down to £63.4m. In 5.7 down to  £53.4m.  This debt allows six projects in 5.7 to progress!  Is this last sum in addition to the £125.7m?

I now give up reading this jargon, very detailed report.  A summary is needed, please.  Who wrote it?  Very impressive report in many ways, however.  Way beyond my capabilities to write.

Of the 7 leaders, who are full time in the post?

Who are part-time?

What does each get paid?

Why do these Magnificent Seven fail to ensure they live within their budget, as I do?

What was said in Andy's independent review into Metro that he asked for in 2021?  Why was it never published?

"... the review into TfWM transport schemes which may need to make way to accommodate underspends."  (5.5)  What amount has been underspent and over what projects/schemes?

Will that review be made public?

Sprint is OTT - Metro is even more so!!  Yet, you have substantial cost pressures!  But also underspends.  Explain, please.

Use the Sprint money to bring in Fare-Free Public Transport for you youngsters, too and for everyone.  Not just my old crocks age group.

BUS LANE MEANING FOR THE VEHICLE AND BUSINESS:-

Use the Sprint money to bring in strictly enforced bus and essential business user nearside lane, with priority measures on Hagley Road as the carrot for commuters who don't need their cars for their jobs.  Two year experiment.  More road space is then made available for essential business users who can use either lane without penalty.  Unregistered cars get a penalty if they are in the bus/business only lane.

Use Sprint money and staff to insulate the homes of the poorest at a time of growing energy/climate crisis.

Sprint is far too expensive in price and in weight of GHG emissions.  Just like Metro!

How do the officers decide when to go for Sprint and when for Metro and when to put in both modes?

What about bringing buses and trains up to standard and railway lines used for railway trains?

Tim

to Richard Hatcher

Hi Richard - by the way, I would very much like to attend your Zoom meeting next week, please.  To support, encourage and work on all you said last night that was so very good.

I wrote, wrongly, "Do you accept that our views are in the tiny majority".  I should have written, "Do you accept that our views are in the tiny minority?"  A small minority, so democracy will never work for us.  We will never get elected!  It is pointless trying to get elected.  We therefore have to engage with the councillors and officers to win them over away from, as one example, finite fossil fuel intensive, multi-modal (HS, HR, LR, VLR, ULR) rail schemes, instead, to putting the poor and voiceless first by giving them low cost, highly energy efficient, solar powered homes.  As at the 23,000 sq m at High Plateau, Merry Hill SC for that wasted space to be given over to the badly/temporary housed and migrants.  May I show it to you, Richard?  My tally, so far, is five councillors!

SIX RAIL MODES:

HS = High Speed

HR = Heavy rail

LR = Light rail Metro (Andy wants £15 BILLION in Jan 2020 to 2040 for mainly trams)

VLR = Very light rail (in Dudley and Coventry)

ULR = Ultra light rail (in Stourbridge that is excellent and sensible)

Tram train (as from Sheffield Cathedral to Rotherham Parkgate)

I very occasionally, by direct engagement and 'door stepping' or gate crashing surgeries, do get to speak to our leading councillors and senior officers.  I have asked Cheryl Hiles, Head of Energy Capital at WMCA, if she has heard of you, Richard.  She has not.  Nor has she received any papers, reports or emails from you.  You have much to give and your involvement is vital.  Although, I think she is a newcomer.

How can you expect to influence people on our behalf, Richard if you never attend 'Ask Andy' meetings, councillors' surgeries, Greener Together Forums, committees and Board meetings, etc in order to talk to these decision makers?  Or, have I got things wrong?

You talk about the WMCA being undemocratic that it is in some ways but not in others.  However, it is all that we've got and since we left wing eco-socialists never have any chance of gaining power, do you think we should work with what we have and try, by force of argument only and in our personal, less hypocritical lives, to build that fairer, more sustainable and sociable society that we all want to see?

Best wishes

Tim

On Wed, 15 Mar 2023 at 09:22, Tim Weller <timweller1@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Richard

Do you agree that the hundreds of millions are there for all the wrong projects - and the staff at 16 Summer Lane, too?

That the money and people can easily be diverted to our Nine Action Points, here:

 Nine Action Points from W Mids Climate Coalitio...

It only needs the political will.  Is that right?

Are you happy with the Nine Action Points, Richard?

Why do you not support me in even one thing that I have been insisting on for decades?!  Or do you?  What?

Do you agree that the Tory Mayor is one of eight leaders in the Corrupt/Comedy Authority?

That the other seven are four Labour and three Tory?

Am I right in thinking that Andy cannot force his way over the other seven?  That all eight have to work together and that they do, presumably, accept majority decisions?

Do you accept that our views are in the tiny majority but we do have right on our side and that it is worth pursuing?

So why do you not support me, Richard?

What is wrong with you (the computer prompts!!) with my suggestions - see below?

WRITE to me, please Richard.  I've only ever had one one email saying "Thanks" and that was fantastic, thanks!

Please engage.

Divided we fall.  United we stand!

Tim -  Richard, what is wrong with what I have written, below?

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Tim Weller <timweller1@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2023 at 07:21
Subject: Reform is needed, I think - REPLY, please

Until upright, honest people put a stop to the fraudulent, financial abuse of billions in price and in weight of greenhouse gases going into High Scam 2, Metro and Sprint, buses will continue to lurch from one three monthly handout to another and buses will continue to be the forlorn, forgotten, Cinderella mode that gets stuck in traffic as car commuters block its path and business vehicles are hindered.

Literally, a handout of billions for Metro tram and Sprint extensions that destroy railway lines, destroy nature and create more congestion and mayhem in their construction and use.  Fare-Free Public Transport of the kind that I have had for 15 years must be given to ALL.

Dudley No 1 Canal embankment, public open space, housing land and lots of nature at Merry Hill SC all get spoilt or obliterated by tram construction.  Already, the UK's very last principal mainline railway "of national strategic significance" has been destroyed by Metro largesse given to build the trams.  As well as to bring in multi-modal rail transport hubs to make for more changes and delays in our journeys.

A public marketing campaign to shame the thoughtless, selfish car commuter who clogs up the roads must be mounted to reward them with free bus, train and tram travel in the region if they leave their beloved in the garage.

Bus lane experiment for two years on Hagley Road that is strictly enforced to speed the bus and inconvenience the car commuter.

BUS at the top of the prestige pile and High Scandal 2, Metro and Sprint at the bottom!

Poor press release from W Mids FoE

Why is there no mention in your press release of the climate calamitous, irresponsible, wasteful and unnecessary FOUR new rail modes when the existing heavy rail is still being used only for freight AND, even destroyed!? And, part is being turned into two or even three rail modes in Dudley borough on the 120 Kms Black Country Mainline "of national strategic significance" between Worcester and Derby?

The world's first train-tram-train mainline to make for more changes and delays and a slower journey - all for a mad, multi-modal, mish mash, mix up!

A very serious omission, Chris.

WMCA = Corrupt Authority and Comedy Authority

Until upright, honest people put a stop to the fraudulent, financial abuse of billions in price and in weight of greenhouse gases going into High Scam 2, Metro and Sprint, buses will continue to lurch from one 3 monthly handout to another and buses will continue to be the forlorn, forgotten, Cinderella mode that gets stuck in traffic as car commuters block its path and business vehicles are hindered.

Literally, a handout of billions for Metro tram and Sprint extensions that destroy railway lines, destroy nature and create more congestion and mayhem in their construction and use.  Fare-Free Public Transport of the kind that I have had for 15 years must be given to ALL.

Dudley No 1 Canal embankment, housing land, public open space and lots of nature at Merry Hill SC all get spoilt or obliterated by tram construction.  Already, the UK's very last principal mainline railway "of national strategic significance" has been destroyed by Metro largesse given to build the trams.  As well as to bring in multi-modal rail transport hubs to make for more changes and delays in our journeys.

A public marketing campaign to shame the thoughtless, selfish car commuter who clogs up the roads must be mounted to reward them with free bus, train and tram travel in the region if they leave their beloved in the garage.

Bus lane experiment for two years on Hagley Road that is strictly enforced to speed the bus and inconvenience the car commuter.

BUS at the top of the prestige pile and High Scandal 2, Metro and Sprint at the bottom!

to Ian Ward, Ian Courts

Dear Ian of Solihull and Ian of Brum - and copied to the Chief Exec of the CA, Laura and, the Mayor and his Deputy

​Referring to the above, ​I​an ​Ward by virtue of his status as Leader, I was once told of the biggest local authority in W Europe.  Ian Courts as Leader of the highly significant Environment and Energy Board of the CA.  A Combined Authority, with its Chief Exec, whose decisions and power must trump those of the individual, seven constituent council members that make up the Authority.  Is that correct?

The seven individual leaders, I think, must not feel attacked and become defensive if the CA, as the ultimate authority, intervenes and insists on exercising its power in a way the individual council does not like.  Obviously, it is better if all seven of you and, especially you two most powerful Ians, can compromise and come to some mutual agreement.  Yet, you also have to have the agreement of your Board members in the case of Ian Courts and his Cabinet in the case of Ian Ward.

SUGGESTION 1 - committees are talking shops:

Not one decision, after a fair debate and vote, has materialised in a single CA committee I have observed as a member of the public.  Every single one has been an amiable, nice natter of a talking shop.  Similar to what we all like down the pub or in the coffee shop.  I think this needs changing.

SUGGESTION 2 - tell the Conservation Officer:

Ian Ward cannot possibly take offence at the Ian of the Environment and Energy Board asking, for the sake of our precious environment and energy, that the Brum Conservation Officer be instructed to authorise the fitting of self closing mechanisms on the front, north doors (external and internal ideally) of 'The Exchange' at 3 Centenary Square - in order to conserve energy and slow climate catastrophe.

SUGGESTION 3 - challenge the officers:

What I also think needs changing is the tendency of councillors to rubber stamp decisions of the professional officers.  I would like all you elected members, including elected Andy and Bob, to question and challenge what the officers are doing.  This, in the light of the true horror story I have catalogued here after spending 55 years in Brum and the Black Country:​

 One horrible history of truly terrible transport

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 36 short statements never corrected or even cha...

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​SUGGESTION 4 - stop Metro and Sprint extensions to insulate and solar power the homes of the poorest:

​Metro and Sprint are the region's equivalent of HS2 bankrupting Britain.  All three transport modes are very nice to have but calamitous for climate, nature and for our finances.  Redeploy transport staff at 16 Summer Lane to work on insulating and solar powering the homes of the poorest and voiceless.  As a rough rule of thumb, every pound spent needs to be regarded as a pound weight of greenhouse gas emissions.  Therefore, spend in the short term what will postpone, in the long term, climate change and resource depletion.

Resist the paralysis of inertia and have the political will to change - please.  Someone must be the first to say, "We must think again."  Well done for CAZ.  It shows that you can change for the better.

Very best wishes to all of you in getting to grips with your declared climate emergency from June 2019.

High Plateau stalled site

1. Who owns this site?  The owners of the Merry Hill Shopping Centre.
2. For how long has it been available? The site was created in the late 1990s following the diversion of the Dudley Canal No 1 and has remained undeveloped since.
3. Why has nothing been done on the site? This is not a Council site, the applicant will need to refer to the owner.  The site is however affected by the Midland Metro construction works.  A viaduct is proposed to the east of the site to carry the tram to Brierley Hill High Street.  Part of the site is temporarily needed to support the construction works.
4. What is its area, please? site area to be 2.5 ha (approx.)

to Liz Clements

How lovely to hear from you, Liz.  Thanks so much.  Made my day!

Linda and I love travelling on the trams, especially by getting off our no 9 bus and changing for the tram at Edgbaston Village just to have our OAPs free ride on the tram and bus into Brum centre!  I now go by the no 9 bus from Halesowen to get the tram at Edgbaston when I go to Wolverhampton.  A long way round just to have a ride on the smooth, super duper tram.  We've also been on the Nottingham tram and, in my case, the Edinburgh tram, too.

My problem with Metro is what I think is the unjustifiably enormous cost of the thing to build.  Especially, when it is mostly replacing and/or duplicating perfectly good bus and train services.

Especially, when we have inflation and the multiple crises of cost of living, energy and climate.

Especially, when the money could have been and, still can be, better spent on extending concessionary regional public transport travel to every single person who lives in the West Midlands.

Especially, when the bus priority measures are so much more cost effective in bribing car commuters out of their cars and onto buses to free up road space for essential road users.

Especially, when I fear, it is a somewhat wealth-flaunting and flash and highly prestigious transport mode.

Especially, when it buries my vertical guerrilla garden at Merry Hill Shopping Centre, trees, shrubs and the only public open space when the WBHE Phase 2 gets built.

But still highly desirable, I know!

Thanks again for writing, Liz.

Tim

KING CAR

I want to add what Chris wrote here,

"... the launch of the consultation the whole document was attacked by some in the room as anti-car or not mentioning the car ……this was rebutted by Ian Ward of BCC indicating that the car is mentioned loads of times in the document and he also went onto say that some 255 of households across the WM do not have access to a car."

I was also at that full CA Board meeting.  I thought it was only Cllr Mike Bird, Leader of Walsall Council who, for a second time at recent CA meetings I've attended, sounded off about the pre-eminence of King Car and its downplay by the officers of TfWM.  I spoke to one of the officers after that earlier meeting who completely shared our conviction that the vast majority of car drivers are well catered for already and it must be the minority of the population who depend on public transport that must be properly provided for.  I came away from that conversation with the officer that Mike Bird is out on a limb over his passion for all things cars and that his vocal opinion will not be followed by TfWM.  In fact, it is the Celebrity Car and the Cinderella, downtrodden bus that is the reality everywhere in our region, anyway.  Mike has his way.  It is the status quo.

From my dealings with TfWM, they are working with single minded determination to boost tram, bus and train use and fully support the CAZ.  I'm wanting to support them over their efforts to cut car commuting and reward bus users financially (£2 bus fare that we want as fare free for all).  However, I remain strongly against tram and Sprint extensions on grounds of cost, social justice and, that that effort - all of it - must go into insulating and solar powering every building.

Thirdly, after attending so many council and CA meetings, I have come to the conclusion that they are pure talking shops.  Never a debate, never a vote, but always a nice natter that we all enjoy down the pub or coffee shop.  The councillors like Mike Bird can huff and puff all they like about motorists who must always be put first and have an easier life to drive all they wish and wherever they like.  Exactly what happens now.  The reality is that the officers rule the roost and the members, like Mike, must rubber stamp the officers every decision - the exact opposite of how democracy is supposed to work!

And, anyway, isn't TfWM meant to concern itself only with public transport?

Tim Weller

"Better Buses for Brum" petition

Dear Liz - the petition has:

Please explain why you have always fully supported "bus on rails" Metro trams, together with your political party

"The Mayor has failed to secure enough money from his own government to fund transport properly."  NOT TRUE!

In fact, since 2017 when he was first elected, Andy Street, on behalf of Transport for W Midlands, fully supported by all political party colours (including those on the left and good eco-socialists, as I am), has secured many hundreds of millions of pounds in both price and in weight of greenhouse gas emissions for Metro trams to replace and duplicate bus and train services.  This is stupid and irresponsible and escalates the climate emergency.

Tram extensions are the second most expensive transport mode to construct after High Scam 2 that is the world's most expensive to construct.  The money should have been used to extend Fare-Free Public Transport from my old crocks age group to all you youngsters.  And, for all the bus priority measures on the nearside lane of dual carriageways to inconvenience thoughtless car commuters who don't need their cars for their work and should be using buses - buses having top priority.  This will help to free up road space for essential vehicle users.  Expand buses directly on roads (minus the railway tracks) without the grossly extravagant "bus on rails" trams blocking them!

Your actively pursued and extremely costly in finance and climate wrecking policy of "bus on rails" Metro trams is still planned to take precious housing land, the destruction of nature, trees, public open space and my wonderful, vertical guerrilla garden.  PLEASE STOP, CANCEL WBHE PHASE 2 FOREVER and DO BUS PRIORITY MEASURES as I have advised for very many years.

Please write back and explain why I am wrong and you are right, Liz.

Many thanks

Faith in Action 2

[17:50] Tim Weller (Guest)

For me, acting against financial and social injustice means calling out wrong priorities from people like Mayor Andy who is a man of integrity.  However, he wants and has spent hundreds of millions of pounds on replacing and duplicating bus and train services with Metro trams and Sprint buses instead of using that money for Fare-Free Public Transport for all and not just for old crocks like me!

[17:52] Tim Weller (Guest)

ADDRESS: timweller1@gmail.com  Or, the money must be used to help those on the lowest income and most in need to help them pay their bills.

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[17:55] Tim Weller (Guest)

ALSO:  Action on trying to get the authorities to take more sensible action to conserve energy, to put social/climate justice first and so use the savings to help the poorest and all low-income people.

Object to immoral Metro, wicked High Scam 2 and unnecessary Sprint and light rail projects throughout the WMCA region.  Use the money to insulate the homes of the most badly housed!  timweller1@gmail.com

Do our speakers believe that money from wrong priorities should be diverted to the right priorities.  What do they consider is wrong spending by the authorities and what are the right ones?

Steve Botham of?

Julian Mander of Riverside Money Advice

Faith in Action Forum

Action on trying to get the authorities to take more sensible action to conserve energy, to put social/climate justice first and so use the savings to help the poorest and all low income people

Nothing changes because I am the only one objecting to immoral Metro, wicked High Scam 2 and unnecessary Sprint and light rail projects throughout the WMCA region.  Use the money to insulate the homes of the most badly housed.

Sprint roll out means more flash, very expensive expenditure to divert from far better priorities

DUPLICATES PERFECTLY ADEQUATE BUS/RAIL SERVICES

GREEDY, UNAFFORDABLE EXPENDITURE THAT WORSENS AND QUICKENS CLIMATE BREAKDOWN

The second phase of works on the cross-city Sprint bus route linking Walsall, Birmingham and Solihull is set to get under way later this year, transport chiefs have announced.

The first phase, which saw bus lanes, priority junction upgrades and new shelters installed along the route was completed in time to transport spectators to and from sporting venues during last summer's Commonwealth Games.

The second phase will see further work along the route to complete the infrastructure ready for the introduction next year of articulated zero-emission buses on a continuous route.

This will begin with some work in Birmingham, including the upgrade of the Trinity Road and Newtown Middleway junction on the A34, and an extension of the westbound bus lane on the A45. Consultation over these works has now commenced and will run until March 24.

Sandeep Shingadia, director of strategic partnerships and delivery integration with Transport for West Midlands, said: "Research shows that more people would get the bus if the services were reliable and frequent which is why we have designed the Sprint cross-city bus route.

"When complete, this will create a single non-stop bus route linking Walsall and Solihull town centres via Birmingham and, thanks to the dedicated lanes and priority at junctions, passengers will know their bus will get them to their destination on time."

Sprint's second phase is being funded through an £88 million contribution from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement and developed by Transport for West Midlands.

The project has been developed with the hope of making bus travel a more convenient and attractive alternative to the car, helping to reduce traffic congestion and contributing towards climate change targets.

1 March 2023

FROM

https://www.business-live.co.uk/economic-development/second-phase-sprint-bus-route-26350174?utm_source=businesslive_newsletter&utm_campaign=west_midlands_newsletter2&utm_medium=email#comments-wrapper