Good morning Peter,
Will you, now please speak to your editor about the Star exposing this 40 years of incompetence and lack of democracy?
QUESTION FOR ANDY STREET on the Radio 4 'Any Questions' panel this evening at Kingswinford Academy:
Should there be full, for and against debate and vote by our councillors, before our 120 Kms (74 miles) Black Country Railway "of national strategic significance" is converted into multi-modal heavy rail, light rail and very light rail between Worcester and Derby?
The writing of business cases always trump democracy. Why?
Andy Street's decision contrasts with Edinburgh City Council who, with both of their tram projects, had committee discussions, followed by debates and then competently conducted votes in full Council to decide whether or not to go ahead. Conservatives opposed trams on grounds of cost.
Former Cabinet member, Cllr Ian Kettle and Dudley MBC Deputy Leader, Cllr Paul Bradley at last night's Stourbridge Forum were unable to reassure me that there has ever been a for and against discussion with vote in any Dudley Cabinet meeting over turning their own half-used, principal mainline railway "of national strategic significance"
into a multi-modal heavy rail (HR), light rail (LR) and, very light rail (VLR). Even the Stourbridge MP, Suzanne Webb, suggested ultra light rail (ULR - the short 1.2 Km Stourbridge Shuttle) to meet the trams at Brierley Hill from her Stourbridge Jct station. Two out of three of these unsuitable rail modes have now been put on the Derby, Dudley, Devon mainline aka Burton on Trent, Brierley Hill, Bristol mainline.
In over forty years of Metro tram development, it seems there has never been a for and against debate followed by vote in a single Council Chamber of any of the seven councils of what is now called the WMCA. The CA is a massive new layer of unaccountable bureaucracy and hierarchy of officers and, members of the regional councils being subsumed into it to give an appearance of democracy when all their committees and boards are simply talking shops and rubber stamps. Never for and against debates and never votes, it seems!!
This contrasts with Edinburgh City Council who, with both of their tram projects, had full committee discussions, followed by debates and then competently conducted votes in full Council to decide whether or not to go ahead.
Wednesday, 21 June 2023
4 reasons why we all love trams! But I put it in context.
The trams are attracting people out of their cars and onto public transport.
For the last 70 years of tram and train destruction, there is only evidence that it is that policy that has made public transport worse, less attractive, caused road congestion, crammed trains and worsened the climate emergency.
They also make public transport users feel like they are not second-class citizens.
First class citizens like lawyers and other VIPs all use public transport. It was 10th rate work by our councillors and transport planners who are responsible for the complete wipe out of the trams in the 50s followed by the double tragedy of urban commuter railway lines being turned into trading/housing estates, roads, innovation centres and test tracks that is STILL going on in this decade.
They beat buses for speed and comfort.
In fact, 95% of bus stops are request stops but the tram MUST STOP at every tram stop.
Trams beat buses for speed only when you have the former mainline railway turned into a tramline running parallel to the traffic choked A41 between Wolverhampton and Brum. Even then, the average speed is only 22 mph for the trams and 12 mph for the vehicles.
Comfort is also a misnomer when my posterior comes to a sudden juddering halt as I sit on a tram seat with only a thin piece of cotton between my bum and the very hard plastic seat!
I think it is a good investment in local infrastructure.
Such a good investment that in over 40 years of rebuilding the tram network on the railway network, we still have only ONE tramline between Brum and Wolverhampton St Georges Sq, not even to the bus station, let alone the railway station. 200 Kms was promised by 23 years ago. What a truly pathetic performance for the hundreds of millions spent and £15 BILLION MORE by 2040!
Such a good investment that the 2nd Brum mainline, after 40 years, is no longer to get trams but is still awaiting its commuter trains and the 3 stations!!
Such a good investment that all work on Metro extensions have had to be suspended or curtailed, since 12 mths ago.
FROM Nick V:
The original trams ran in the roads. The new trams mostly reuse disused railway lines, keeping them apart from the buses, cars and bikes. If they had maintained the old tram network then the roads would have had to be changed. Buses were a better alternative at the time. SELF: More sensible European nations simply modernised their trams over the years.
The train network was cut as it was uneconomic. If it had not been cut then the rail network would probably not exist at all today. SELF: Beeching never intended his closed railway lines should be wiped off the face of the earth.
As for the seats, I'm sure Linda or Jayne can design you a very comfortable, personalised, reusable, maybe even recycled cushion.
Posted by Tim Weller at 21:10 No comments: 
Labels: 4 reasons, investment, St Georges Sq
Business Plans are a hoax!
Many thanks. Business plans always come up with exactly what the paymaster wants them to say. They are an academic, bureaucratic, go through the hoop exercise that has justified all manners of stupidity - High Scam 2 for mainly plane passengers to sometimes use the train (instead of the plane) to fly through the air on land!
Also, 70 years of tram, then train destruction, followed by rebuilding, over the last 40 years, not the surviving train lines but the tram network on that surviving railway network. I exaggerate not! All down to biased business plans. Next it's the 1000 trees and shrubs that get the chop on the S side of Hagley Road - all for the tragic tram to solve our road traffic congestion and poisoned air problems! And I'm one of the biggest fans of tram travel - seriously.Posted by Tim Weller at 20:53 No comments:
Labels: Business plans
Tuesday, 20 June 2023
Public transport is an embarrassing 70 years saga of confusion, multi-modal mix up and incompetence
The very VIPs who boasted in the 1980s of 200 Kms of tramline by the year 2000, have their predecessors promising us 150 miles and 380 tram stops for £15 billion by 2040!
These were the Top Professionals who obliterated the first tram network in the 1950s, then set about the urban railway network from the 1960s onwards. What was left of our urban railway lines, from the 1980s was begun to be converted to - you've guessed it - to the solution looking for a problem, the TRAM. Not the train on train lines. Oh no! That was all too obvious.
It was to be the answer to all our traffic-choked urban roads!
The silver bullet to bring us fast, convenient, irresistible connectivity - the planners and politicians favourite word.
Instead, we still sit in traffic jams literally alongside or near to the forgotten railway "of national strategic significance". Ready built, too except for the 7 stations recommended by Railfuture, way back in 2003.
But this is the railway that must have:- "Light rail provides the basis for restoring heavy rail services at the appropriate time" - top officer in a letter to me in September 2000. Last decade this was underlined by Top VIP, Laura Shoaf as "passive provision" for trains to return between the 56 Kms of Stourbridge and Burton on Trent on the middle section of the 120 Kms railway "of national strategic significance" between Worcester and Derby.
What a long-winded and frankly stupid way of 'Restoring Your Railway' from the DfT, that is another victory my side has won. The first victory we won was last decade when they finally decided not to convert the Kings Norton to Grand Central Station into a tramline as part of the 200 Kms of trams we were meant to have by 2000 AD!!
WHAT A PANTOMIME
WOT A JOKE
WHAT ASTONISHING INCOMPETENCE!
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