Saturday 9 December 2023

Cllr Dave Borley

On Mon, 27 Nov 2023, 07:21 Cllr. Dave Borley, <Cllr.Dave.Borley@dudleymbc.org.uk> wrote:

Dear Mr Weller,

My concerns on the pedestrian crossings on the ring road is that it slows down the traffic from a 30mph to, at many times during the day, to a standstill. You are so right.  I see it as due to a growing population and more of us using our cars all the more.  Hence, since the mid 90s in Brum, I gave up the car for the vast majority of my trips and even for my social work visits and for commuting.  And maintained until I retired at 65 in 2013.

Congestion on the ring road is partly due to Stourbridge residents (and all of us) failing to lobby for the second, and even more important mainline railway 
from Stourbridge Jct to be reinstated with commuter, regional, intercity and freight trains up to Derby and beyond.  Some of today's car drivers might be prepared to use the train if the trains were reinstated on the full 120 Kms.
This is my suggestion for road space to be released for essential business users, as I once thought I was as a social worker!

 

We have subways that work fine, for both pedestrians and cycles, but I would recommend a facelift on our subways – make them lighter and brighter, install CCTV, cycle lane signs. Additionally, we should have new CCTV on the ring road installed as well for speeding drivers.  Yes, indeed.  I like subways and always use ours in Laurel Lane, Halesowen.

I remember the Ring Road being built back in the late 60’s – Why was it built? Well please watch the YouTube film if you type in ‘Stourbridge Ring Road’.

Why are we planning to put a new pedestrian crossing in – is it to accommodate a small section of the community who ride bikes or is it to control and blackmail people to use public transport, walk or ride a bike instead!?  The idea is to get that small section bigger by making it safer for cyclists and motorists by more segregation.  My bus/business lane idea is to  bribe, induce, reward car commuters to leave their motors at home and to use Fare-Free Public Transport that I've had for nearly 16 years.  And to give it to everyone.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

It is difficult for cyclists on today’s roads especially from ignorant motorists but that needs more education – TV adverts, more signs on the roads etc.. plus Cycle lanes, where possible and prudent, should be created.

 

Greener transports are gradually coming in and over the next 10 years will become the greater than Petrol and Diesel.  I fear that electric/hydrogen vehicles will still be very dependant on fossil fuels because of the shortage of renewables and other materials needed to make them.  And even our own population is rising with growing demands for cars, let alone in the rest of the world.  

Somebody tell me what the big world polluters, China & India etc, are doing to go green? Are they punishing their people to get to ‘New Zero’ by 2030, 2035 or 2050 – NO!  Roger Harrabin, the former BBC environment correspondent, says that although China is having to build more coal fired power stations to feed the world demand for consumer goods, it is also doing better than any other country in building renewables.  But they also take finite resources, so we really are in a terrible bind!  Snookered!

Why don’t you go, with your eco / just stop oil protester friends, sit in Tiananmen Square and protest. Coal fire power stations are being built in China NOW!

We are lucky that you can protest and live in a free democracy. However, I’d argue that the Woke/Left-wing brigade want to stop our freedoms… Certainly not our freedom to speak out, to disagree and to protest.  Our freedoms will be curtailed by the uncomfortable realities of life.  Of living unnaturally on a natural planet and living infinitely on a finite planet.

The UK has made great strides in getting greener and, especially for the population size we have, we lead the way.  We lead the way in good intentions and in legislation but, in reality, nothing changes.  Economic growth/greed in the face of a planet that is not growing with our ever increasing demands placed upon it, is the politicians top priority.

3% economic growth, year on year, means that production and consumption doubles every 25 years.  Unsustainable.  I've worked it out and it is absolutely true, Dave!
All our vast material wealth is of no use if failing life support systems mean we can't grow our food and get enough drinking water.
"Either we get our numbers and our activities into harmony with the powers of the earth to support life or, collapsing life support systems will do the job for us."  (Green Party manifesto from the  1970s or 80s) 

The Net Zero target of 2050 I do support, and we should aim to do this in a balanced and economic method that is more natural than forced.  We have not the slightest chance of meeting it, I can assure you!

France got it right with Nuclear Power and I’ve always been a supporter of this energy supply.  But of no help if more greenhouse gas emissions are emitted in their construction than the power stations save over their lifetime.                                                                

With regards to your idea on the Trains – I agree with you!

No comments:

Post a Comment