DUDLEY CLLRS LOVE MISSION TO USE TRAMS TO RUN DUDLEY PEOPLE TO MERRY HILL

DUDLEY SHOPPERS TO TAKE TRAMS TO MERRY HILL

I'm so pleased for you that you have your long-awaited (from the 1980s) Metro trams at long last.  But, don't rest on your laurels; there is still very MUCH more to do, my friends!

I quite understand that you must continue the 60-year-old policy of destroying, this time, Dudley's very last and fifth railway, to relegate our town from having back the mainline Castle Hill Railway Station - to piddling little tram stop and test track.  Dudley's New Fame:- the largest town in the UK by population without a railway station.  Yet, the line was successful for 100 years until we all fell in love with cars.  And nearly 50 Kms, already built, are left with nothing!

What is your personal wish for the former mainline railway and existing freight line from Stourbridge Jct to Brierley Hill and, the mothballed, former passenger and freight railway from Wednesbury to Burton on Trent?  Nearly 50 Kms still wasted alongside or, near congested main roads and motorways.  It has every motorway, road and canal crossing already built but you good politicians forgot to finish the job - with, you know what!

What are you doing to respond to your own Council's Climate Emergency motion that you passed last year and passed over this year?

Why did you bring it forward when it does look, so far, as though you have every intention to change nothing?  You now lay yourselves open to the charge of hypocrisy, of course.

Have you ever considered reforming your actions to ones of retrenchment?  Retrenchment to minimise deadly greenhouse gas emissions and to maximise economic growth in insulation, Passivhaus standards in housing, solar PV on every E, W, S roof and small to medium-sized, highly energy-efficient homes for the homeless and badly housed?

Have you ever considered the carrot, the reward of regional Fare-Free Public Transport that old crocks like me have had for 13 years, so far?  This OAP and friends in Brum are championing the same perk for you youngsters!  Campaign with us over this iniquitous inequality and blatant discrimination against the young and middle-aged.  Co-operation and partnership working, please.

Remember, too the major 22 Kms, business and commuter route that is the fine, upstanding, disgraceful Black Country Cycle-Walk Mudway.

And a decent mosque for Dudley town Muslims.  Stop that discrimination and Islamaphobia.

And a cycle-walkway on the other side of Duncan Edwards Way from the tramline.

Am I allowed, please to observe your council Climate Emergency (up and at 'em) All Action Committee?

'Making transport fit for the Climate Emergency'

 Friends of the Earth: 'Making transport fit for the Climate Emergency'

SEE page 3, here:

http://www.transportforqualityoflife.com/u/files/201203_FoE_Activists_Briefing-Making_transport_fit_for_the_Climate_Emergency_FINAL1.pdf

Thanks, Ros.  This is excellent and the 27 actions local authorities can take to reduce car use should be urgently implemented by the WMCA, together with our own three actions to make it up to 30, viz:

1. Abandon over-indulgent, railway destroying, grossly extravagant Metro trams between Wednesbury and Brierley Hill, like HS2 - see photo:
    HS2 XR ticket.jpg
2. Instead, finish the 120 Kms Black Country Railway and upgrade the 22 Kms Black Country Cycle-Walk Mudway, competently, so we can use both.
3. Cycle-walkway on the grass verge alongside most of the Duncan Edwards Way.
   

Tim Weller

Backward Black Country and Dud Dudley

 Thanks, Rosanne for sending us the video.  There is no concern.  No-one cares.  Even the authorities do nothing about the climate emergency.  Well, they talk and take all the wrong actions.  Like:

1. Over twenty years, failing to give Dudley Muslims a decent, purpose-built Dudley Central Mosque in Hall Street!
2. In 25 years, failing to put a cycle-walkway down both sides of Dudley Southern Bypass, aka Duncan Edwards Way.
3. In nearly forty years, they are finally getting round to putting a short shuttle tramline down one side of Duncan Edwards Way as far as Cinder Bank roundabout and on to the mainline railway to destroy that important asset for the rest of eternity and beyond.
4. Putting a half-billion pound tramline through Dudley town centre to shuttle shoppers from the Market and shops to Merry Hill.
5. Moving the perfectly adequate 1980s or 90s Wellington Road Leisure Centre all of 1 Km into a new building alongside the new tramline in Flood Street.
6. Failing to put modest-sized, highly insulated, energy efficient apartments and homes in Dudley town centre.
7. Failing to lift a single finger to start the urgent work in insulating, upgrading and making their own properties to minimise fossil-fuel use.
8. Failing to lobby or to even ask for the money from WMCA and HMG to make the major, Ordnance Survey mapped as traffic-free, 22 Kms Black Country Cycle-Walk Mudway fit for use by anyone other than for motor-cross scramblers, mountain bikers and cross country runners.
9. Leaving it to Gary Farmer's group and my family to clear up rubbish from public areas.
10. Failing, since the 1990s, to replace wonky, shaky, wooden stiles on public rights of way with self-closing metal gates and helpful waymarking to stop trespass.  Wooden stiles are still used for very occasional replacement, instead of telling landowners they are no longer available!