THREE MAJOR CONCERNS

THREE MAJOR CONCERNS:

• Action is needed on highlighting the failure over the incompetent restoration of Dudley No 2 Canal in Leasowes Park, Halesowen in the 1990s.  Lapal Canal Trust says 1997.
• Action on highlighting the incompetence of destroying the only unofficial public open space at Merry Hill for a "bus on rails" tram that is also destroying the UK's very last, mothballed, principal, mainline railway that has every viaduct, bridge, tunnel, underpass and flyover built over its full 120 Kms length.

The MMA/TfWM brochure. See photo of Metro viaduct on page 3:
https://metroalliance.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/wbheleafletsep19v2small.pdf.pagespeed.ce.TMKJsuHpum.pdf

Official plan for the destruction of the public open space at Merry Hill is at the very foot of this email.

The double, standard gauge, railway tracks on the concrete viaduct goes along the line of these six trees.

 6 glorious white trees.jpg

• Action on highlighting the serious negligence over the 22 Kms Black Country Cycle-Walk Mudway that, once competently upgraded or finished, would complete the important Black Country Canal/Cycle Ring of over 60 Kms in distance.

Thanks!

SAVE WHAT LITTLE NATURE THERE IS AT MERRY HILL

SAVE WHAT LITTLE NATURE THERE IS AT MERRY HILL: 

 6 glorious white trees.jpg

I am asking for my immorally expensive, planned Metro tram at Merry Hill to be moved from being next to the canal, for it to go ABOVE it on steel stilts, instead.  SEE BELOW.  Please use the addresses below if you would like the public open space saved - and our taxes, too!  There is still time for the destruction of the public open space to be cancelled and the tram tracks to be built above the canal, instead. 

I'm also asking for our council to finally put right something, after only 25 years, that took national government a full 40 years to put right in their case!!  SEE BELOW.

Dudley's address is dudleycouncilplus@dudley.gov.uk and their leaders' addresses: Cllr.Patrick.Harley@dudleymbc.org.uk   Kevin.OKeefe@dudley.gov.uk     Cllr.Qadar.Zada@dudleymbc.org.uk (leader of the Opposition)

And the three Customer Services, here:

customerservices@westmidlandsmetro.com;

customerservices@tfwm.org.uk; 

customerservices@wmca.org.uk

Dishonourable and Dysfunctional Dudley MBC refuses to put right its own incompetence

TWO CANALS TAINTED BY DUDLEY'S LESS THAN MAGIC TOUCH!

Just as it took over 40 years to force HMG to discharge a £400 m "legitimate" debt to Iran, after only 25 years, Dudley MBC still has absolutely no intention to put right its own unbelievable failings in spending a quarter of a million pounds of public money in overseeing the work of Barhale Construction Services in executing the most perfectly incompetent and useless canal restoration in the history of the UK.

This was Dudley No 2 Canal, aka the Lapal Canal, in 1997 when a 400 metre section of the canal was supposedly 'restored' but never fully filled with water for fear of collapse of the canal embankment, in Leasowes Park, Halesowen.

Dudley Council is also involved in gladly destroying the one and only public open space at Merry Hill Shopping Centre with a 400 metre concrete viaduct right on top of the steep canal embankment, when it could go on steel stilts directly above the water of the canal.  And, probably, at less cost.

This is in addition to six Dudley railway lines obliterated and a seventh, a railway "of national strategic significance", well on its way to the unfortunate rail graveyard in the sky!

Earlier this year, a very modest improvement to fewer than ten stiles on public rights of way, by putting steps on them, cost over £9,000, I have been told.

Dishonourable and Dysfunctional Dudley MBC refuses to put right its own incompetence

PHOTOS to be shocked or intrigued or to laugh over:

 M6 Toll banner 01.jpg

 M6 Toll 03.jpg

Half a billion pounds of Metro destroys the above half-finished 120 Kms Worcester to Derby railway and these trees, all for a stranded, 'shuttle' tramline on a former mainline railway that does not even connect with the two railway sections between Worcester and Derby, at either end.  It is needed for freight trains, anyway.  So what is the point of Metro?

 6 glorious white trees.jpg

Exactly where the mighty tram viaduct goes!

Tim Weller  28 Hunnington Cres  HALESOWEN  B63 3DJ

0791 380 4363

I WILL VOTE FOR YOU, IF ...

Ray, you can satisfy me over these questions.  Please put your answers under each bullet point in a different colour font: 

• What did you do in the late 80s/90s over the 16 Kms KBH motorway bypass?
• What did you do over opposing the 87 Kms WOM in the 90s?
• Do you have any kind of track record in opposing the obliteration of our Black Country and Birmingham railway lines?
• Did you do anything to oppose the building of roads, homes, trading estates and retail units on these railways?
• Did you do anything to oppose the house being built on the southern side of Manor Way (Halesowen Bypass) on the Halesowen Railway line in 1976 or 1977?
• Have you been a member of the Planning or Development Control Committee when these railway lines came up for new building?
• When you were a councillor in the past, have you ever been a member of the PTA?
• From your recollection, has the PTA ever been active in opposing the obliteration of railway lines in its area?
• Has the PTA ever opposed the building of any road scheme?
• Did you do anything when you saw or were told or found out that the Lapal Canal restoration in Leasowes Park was going wrong?
• What has your Council done about putting the matter right, since your party regained power?
• What are your reasons for supporting the Black Country Tramline going on the Black Country Railway line to mean that half of the 120 Kms will continue to be wasted with it being a test track for Very Light Rail, an innovation centre, a trail of trees, Himalayan Balsam and undergrowth - and a cycle-walkway in south Staffordshire?
• Can you recall anything coming before Dudley Council about the building of roads, homes and businesses on the southern end, in Brierley Hill of the former Brierley Hill, Wombourne, Wolverhampton Railway?
• As a councillor or a Dudley resident, did you do anything about stopping the unnecessary movement of the Grange roundabout two or three metres to the west, last decade?
• Did you approve the loss of the second of the two left turning lanes from into Manor Way to help morning rush hour traffic eastbound to the M5 at Jct 3?
• Have you done anything about the absence of landscaping on this only major, 30 metre diameter roundabout that does not even have a blade of grass or a single weed on it?
• Has there ever been a Cabinet member responsible for watching over and improving bus and train travel and promoting cycling/waking in Dudley MBC?
• Will you ask Cllr Karen to please reinstate the tetra-pak food and drinks recycling bank at the Birmingham Street car park in Halesowen?
• What do you think I mean by the MMA/TfWM/WMCA continuing the tradition of all our eggs in one basket transport policy?
• Would you be prepared to advocate publicly and privately my suggestions, below?:

Please, can our Black Country LEP do anything to further these enterprising ideas of mine?

• 6 Kms Halesowen to Longbridge railway line to be compulsory purchased from the individual landowners to allow a new public right of way to be created on the 4 Kms, former single track, from Manor Way, Halesowen to the M5.  This, to link with the existing right of way in the pedestrian subway under the M5.  The Frankley to Longbridge section is nearly complete, with St Modwen working on the last section to the smart, new Longbridge Shopping Centre.
• 18.5 Kms Black Country Puddle Strewn Mudway to be converted to Black Country Cycle-Walkway by tarmac applied on the full length to make it fit for purpose.  To be used by cycle commuters who have given up on the car and jam packed trains, horse riders, walkers and all others needing non-motorised help to get about.  The OS Explorer map think it is already used as such!
• 6.7 Kms of the Black Country Tramline and 2 Kms for VLR innovation centre and test track to be converted to its former use as a 120 Kms railway "of national strategic significance" (Network Rail and DfT) - and, for the Alstom hydrogen electric train to provide the regional passenger service between Worcester and Derby.  This, to allow us to compete more effectively with the honey pot that is Brum, to help relieve the very long standing train congestion at Grand Central Shopping Centre and Diesel Perfumed Basement Station and, to give a new direct commuter railway between our four boroughs and Snow Hill via Bescot.  We then have Derby to Devon via Dudley; Burton to Bristol via Brierley Hill and the new DY5 Enterprise Zone.   Both Landranger and Explorer OS maps think it is already in use for trains!

These three projects put the Black Country on the UK map for sensible enterprise, initiative and leadership.  They reduce road and railway congestion, obesity and ill health, human induced climate change and resource depletion.

I look forward to much good news over these helpful, constructive and positive suggestions for progress - in the right direction!

Best wishes and many thanks, Ray