When there ain't enough energy ...

When there ain't enough energy to go around, we have to layer up, both ourselves and our homes, eat porridge, keep the oven door open after cooking and hug a pet.  As Ovo Energy suggested this week but were quickly slapped down. 

When there ain't enough energy to go around, we have to limit our travelling by finite fossil fuels or be a fossil fool.

When there ain't enough energy to go around, your EV had better be powered purely from home-generated elecy from solar panels and not from other charging stations on your travels that might well give you fossil fuel-generated elecy from high greenhouse gas emitting sources.  If that is the case, it is pretty pointless, you might just as well use the oil directly in an ICE car rather than using it for it to be turned inefficiently into elecy.  And that makes the shortages worse.  If you ain't generated enough elecy for your trip, you can't go.  It's as simple as that.

Does turning the oil into fuel for a car mean more oil-burning than using it to generate elecy?  What kind of oil do oil-powered power stations use?

Letter to Peter Lowe, Leader of Dudley MBC

Dear Peter

I am really sorry that I find it necessary to speak/write like this.  I don't like doing it.  However, only your good self and Khurshid can put a stop to this nonsense, below.  The sooner you do so, the quicker you will shut me up.

How is it that you and all your councillors have no sense of shame, let alone guilt, for your odd behaviour?

First, you keep express and local trains off your very own railway line for 50 years.  This is the Black Country ICE (inter city express) Line that runs literally alongside commuter congested main roads in places from Stourbridge, past the Waterfront and on to all of our Black Country tourist attractions at Castle Hill.

Next, last December, you announced that you were going to use one track for a shuttle service by a still to be developed Very Light Railcar on one mile of your 13 miles Black Country Line to shuttle passengers to the next inter city express line in your neighbouring borough of Sandwell.  Not to run your own smart, sleek ICE trains, mind you but, to rely on the next line that crosses yours one mile down the line in Sandwell!

The second track, for all of one mile, will be a test track for this university based project.  Elsewhere in Dudley is a much more suitable site for the Warwick Manufacturing Group to develop the Very Light Railcar.

However, our dear councillors' stupidity is now capped by your intention to put a speedway stadium on Halesowen's farmland and Green Belt.  You don't want our food grown on fertile soil but, instead, even more greenhouse gases from motorbikes racing round in circles to further mess up our climate and threaten, eventually, our very existence.

Can these councillors' abnormal behaviour get anymore weird and wonderful in their work on our behalf?

Will just one councillor resign to disassociate him/herself from these peculiar antics?

Yours sincerely

Extravagance for the authorities; austerity for the rest of us - my definition of corruption!

Extravagance for the authorities; austerity for the rest of us - my definition of corruption!

£750 million for the grand Grand Central Shopping Centre, atrium and concourse with the mainline station put in the basement - tagged along as an afterthought.  Still, on the platforms and in the ‘Stop and Crawl’ car tunnel, poisonous diesel fumes for us all to harm our health.

£190 million magnificent New Library of Brum opened as smaller libraries closed or were given restricted opening hours.  Just like the new library in its second year of opening!

£86.6 million for Midland Metro trams to Centenary Square from Snow Hill Station (less than one mile).

£62 million to promote cycling in Birmingham and to give away 5,000 free bikes to Brummies.

£10 million per mile for Beeching rural line re-opening in depopulated southern Scotland in September.  In this age of austerity, a strong business case was made.  Yet, nothing for the Black Country ICE (inter city express) Line that remains closed.

£100 million per mile for smooth, sleek electric trams to return to Brum city centre to replace hybrid buses.  In this age of austerity, a robust business case made the funding vital.  Yet, nothing for the Black Country ICE Line that remains closed.

£130 million for 1.5 Km (just under one mile) that includes some new trams for the Eastside extension.  In this age of austerity, an unassailable business case was made for the project to go ahead. This is 13 times more expensive than reinstating passenger trains and stations on nearly 50 miles of freight only lines, like the unused Black Country ICE (inter city express) Line.

£1,000 million per mile for HS2 to come to Curzon Street Station in 2026.  In this age of austerity, the business case made this project impossible to deny.  It is absolutely vital for the transport and economic health of the nation.  Isn't it funny, that there is still nothing for the Black Country ICE Line that remains closed to passengers?

"The rail crisis" The Times 27 June 2015

COPIED TO: Birmingham City Council, Dudley MBC and Network Rail Chief Executives, for their urgent action

Sir,  How bizarre can Birmingham and the Black Country get when it comes to rail?  Is this not a bigger scandal than FIFA?

For fifty years, Network Rail and the authorities have deliberately kept nearly fifty miles of double track freight lines without passenger trains and stations.  Lines that are literally alongside or near to commuter congested roads.  All of them had successful passenger services for about 100 years, until fifty years ago.

Our transport aficionados have been so mesmerised by Midland Metro trams that in 34 years of enthusiastic endeavour, costing taxpayers millions of pounds, they will have finally achieved their one and only tram line by Christmas when it finally delivers shoppers to our dazzling, mirror-like, brand new Grand Central Shopping Centre and station at a cost of £750 million (the old New Street Station).  Cost for the 0.7 mile tram extension at £75.4 million is £100 million per mile!  A network of 200 Km Light Rail (LR) tram lines were planned to be in use by 2000. In 2015, they achieve 22 Km (mostly on a rail line) while 78 Km of double track freight lines remain devoid of commuter and ICE (inter city express) trains!

France, Switzerland and Germany have stunning ICE trains.  Our 13 miles Black Country Line had express trains for about 100 years until the 1960s.  Nothing since then - not even Midland Metro (LR) trams that, extraordinarily, remains their intention after 34 years.  With growing road and rail congestion, why are our experts still wanting to see trams?  The very latest plan is for Very Light Rail (VLR) trams on this local and nationally vital rail line.  This strategic line is to shuttle passengers for only one mile, on one track down our ICE line, to the inter-city line in our neighbouring borough of Sandwell.  The other track will be the test track for VLR.  Why not connect Dudley directly with all parts of the UK with ICE trains to increase capacity and to reduce train congestion at our shiny new Grand Central Shopping Centre and station and, on our road and rail network?