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

​​

 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.

7 S's for a less sick, selfish, unsustainable society!

For our discussion tomorrow evening, please.  I want feedback - criticism or support - not apathy/acquiescence/boring!  Tim

1. SOLAR powered, highly energy efficient apartments at Smallbrook Queensway and 23,000 sq m High Plateau at Merry Hill.
2. SUPPORT John Christophers' proposal for the 1960s concrete arc of shops,offices and homes.
3. SCRAP wasteful multi-modal public transport of heavy rail, light rail and very light rail (HR, LR, VLR).
   
4. STICK to TRAINS returning to the 120 Kms Black Country Mainline Railway, Kings Heath/Moseley Railway, Sutton Park Railway.
   
5. STOP extensions to HS2, Metro and Sprint.
6. START the 2 year experiment on Hagley Road of nearside bus lane, Fare-Free Public Transport, green lights for every approaching bus and ROAD PRICING penalty for thoughtless car commuters.
7. STRENGTHEN CAZ to take in more thoughtless car commuters who must use bus/train/tram to commute.

email to Ian Ward re June WMCA press release

11 Jun 2022, 13:17 (5 days ago)

Cllr Ian Ward, WMCA portfolio holder for transport and leader of Birmingham City Council, added: “Government Covid support for bus operators is due to end this year – meaning this investment to reduce fares and improve services is even more vital to not only get those customers lost during the pandemic back on board but attract new customers.

“And it will of course be accompanied by further investment in bus lanes and bus priority measures which will allow buses to bypass traffic jams while offering more reliable journey times.  (my emphasis)

SELF: Please, stricter CAZ and charging for those motorists who have not registered as being essential vehicle users  - for only them to be inside the Outer Ring Road on the main radial roads without paying.

“Bus is the most used form of public transport and quality services are essential if we are to reduce car use, ease congestion, cut pollution and help tackle the climate emergency.”

Tim

Questions for TfWM

24 March 2021

Dear Paul

Thanks for your last email.

 

While I remain a declared candidate, could you please ask Mike Waters to put in writing what he was saying last week about Tallinn operating FFPT for every passenger being completely different from the position we find ourselves in, here in the W Midlands.  I need to hear again - and consider - the points he was making, please.

 

Could you please ask Shingadia to give me the average distance between each bus stop on the Sprint route and the average distance for the regular bus services on that same route.  Plus frequency of the two services on that Walsall to Brum to Solihull route.

 

Does this mean that some passengers will have to walk further from home and will need to examine the route to find which of the two different buses they should walk to, to find the best bus for them?

 

Is it simpler and cheaper to keep to the regular buses but to gradually make them as great, glitzy and glamorous as Sprint buses?

 

How do you decide when to upgrade bus routes to a Metro "bus on rails" tram and when to upgrade to Sprint?

 

Could the money, instead go to fund the proposed regional FFPT extension to the remainder of the population?

 

Can you use CAZ money to fund FFPT?

Would FFPT provide better value for money than Sprint?

Does Sprint make for a two-level, two-class bus provision?

 

Does the rolling out of Ultra Light Rail (Pre Metro Operations), Very Light Rail and Light Rail Metro, complicate the public transport journey with more changes, leading to more delays, between the different modes?

 

It seems that the Covid, Climate, Ecological, Nature crisis is here to stay into the foreseeable future.  Therefore, do Mike, Shingadia and Adam think that anything should change in the light of those realities and, of serious shortages of oil and all kinds of gas by the end of the century?

 

Do the three men accept my thought, here?:

It is the business of all of us to curtail our activities to minimise finite fossil fuel use and the resulting, deadly greenhouse gas emissions.  It isn't fair to live it up today when we know there will be shortages tomorrow AND a most uncomfortable existence from climate breakdown. 

 

Do they accept my conclusion?:

Spending = more greenhouse gas emissions = deepening climate crisis = THE END.

 

Could you please ask the two Co-Chairs of the YCA, what actions they are suggesting when they wrote (actually Chris Burden in the Afterword of their 'Community Recovery Prospectus'):

"... we call on our leaders to be ambitious in delivering not only growth but a more radical change that reflects the urgency of our situations."  What radical change exactly?

and,

"With each passing day of inaction, there is less of a future left to fight for."   What action does YCA want, specifically?

 

Many thanks, Paul

Use CAZ money for FFPT

"It would be helpful if you could provide an indication of specific elements with the overarching topics of Sprint and regional Fare-Free Public Transport you wish to cover, so that officials can prepare accordingly and ensure they have relevant information to hand."

Can you use CAZ money to fund FFPT?

Would FFPT provide better value for money than Sprint?

Does Sprint make for a two-level, two-class bus provision?

To Mayor Marvin Rees

QUESTION FOR 24 FEB: Could we move away from car culture by encouraging families to use public transport that is free for ALL and not just for old crocks like me who are on our way over and out? What a great compensation for CAZ coming in and to boost bus and train use!