The Car = possessive individualism = Capitalism

One of the most influential inventions of capitalism – the car - epitomises the possessive individualism that is capitalism’s main social characteristic. Individual car ownership did not exist for the large majority of UK citizens until recently: in 1950 there were four million cars on the road, now there are 32 million. Greenhouse gas emissions need to fall to net zero by 2050 but in 2020 have risen by 10% since 2015; cars contribute 14% to this rise. Air pollution caused by the motor car kills, directly or indirectly, many thousands a year in the UK. The first death officially recognised as being directly caused by air pollution in the UK was Ella, a nine-year old girl who died in South London in 2020. Her death stimulated a campaign for an ‘Ella’s law’ to curb air pollution. About 1700 are also killed in road accidents every year in the UK.

The volume of cars and lorries on the road at present is not sustainable. They and the infrastructure to support them have already destroyed much that was great about our cities, towns and villages as well as concreted over vast swathes of the countryside. The UK government in 2020 committed £27 billion to build even more roads, a figure that dwarfs the amount devoted to environmental enhancement. Prof Greg Marsden, of the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds has said there should be a moratorium on new road construction pending the take-up of electric vehicles: “The focus on shovel-ready infrastructure expansion on the roads will, regrettably, simply dig us a bigger climate hole to get out of.” 

My 2nd resolution to Left Unity

Dear friends and comrades

Is there room on the agenda for Sat 16 Oct to talk about this suggestion, perhaps?

RESOLUTION AGAINST greedy, unnecessary, vanity projects but, the funds used instead, to pay for levelling up by raising the attractiveness of public transport.  Especially, for those with mobility issues who must have the most help and top priority, every time.

That this branch of Birmingham and W Midlands Left Unity condemns the proposed Brum to Leeds E arm extension of HS2 and the extension to Manchester from Birmingham.

We are united in wanting it stopped along with all other extensions of W Midland Metro and Sprint buses that are horrifically expensive to further boost greenhouse gas emissions; make for a First Class and Second Class public transport provision; and, worsen public transport by introducing more changes and delays between train, three kinds of tram, Sprint buses and Platinum buses.

This is called multi-modal transport by Mayor Andy Street but means, in fact, a multi-modal mix up mish mash that results in a slower public transport journey as now seen on Hagley Road, Five Ways underpass and Broad Street in Birmingham.

We resolve that Andy's £15 billion to 2040 for Metro tram extensions in the W Midlands must go, instead to extend the region's Fare-Free Public Transport to the young and middle-aged to end that discrimination against them and, as the antidote and carrot to the stick of Brum's Clean Air Zone charges.

END

I think that we have everything to gain in publicity and in getting noticed by the media if Mike feels able to pump out our resolutions to all and sundry!  Persistence and patience will eventually pay off in giving us a higher profile and more attention.  It may take years, though!

Could this go on the agenda for a week on Saturday, please, Mike?

Tim

It's official. It's magic. If it sounds too good to be true ...

HS1 was £54 m/Km when it opened in 2007.

HS2 is, so far, £191 m/Km over its full 555 Kms, at £106 billion. 

Quite some difference!  Nearly 4 times more expensive per Km to construct today than HS1, when it opened 14 years ago.

This, below, is from the official HS2 website and my correction/rebuttal is in glorious bold blue!  My research shows that HMG/HS2 and its promoters are exaggerating so seriously with their misleading spin that they are lying.  READ ON as to why I say that and tell me what you think, please.  Am I wrong/mistaken?   Tim

How HS2 creates more rail capacity

As a brand new railway line, HS2 is the best option for taking the pressure off the existing network. It takes the pressure off the existing intercity lines by flying past all the stations travellers on the intercity trains want to stop at.  It adds extra capacity where it is needed most. To benefit London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, ONLY.  Building HS2 frees up a massive amount of space on the existing railway by placing long distance services on their own pair of tracks. But you still have to have the same level of service for those same long distance services.  Nothing is gained!  Once HS2 is operating, services can run much closer together, meaning there can be more rush hour trains, helping to relieve overcrowding.  Only if the existing intercity trains are slowed.  And that gives the intercity stations a worst service.

Once the full network is operational we expect HS2 trains to carry over 300,000 passengers a day. HS1 to Europe has 6,000 passengers a day.  HS2 is future proofed, by making sure the network can grow with increased demand.  High Scandal 2 is a scam, a deception and nicely accelerates the runaway greenhouse effect for our ultimate downfall.

THEIR MISLEADING GLOSS IS HERE!

THEIR MISLEADING GLOSS is here:  https://www.hs2.org.uk/where/      The video promises "1000s of extra seats for commuter services at over 100 stations on the UK's existing network and, free up space for more freight by rail".

MY REALITY is here:  They can't even put freight on to finish the railway they built between Worcester and Derby through the Black Country, let alone the rather necessary commuter and regional trains alongside traffic-choked main roads and motorways!

They replace one perfectly fast enough high-speed line with an even faster, dedicated high-speed line that does not stop at any of the stations the first high-speed line stops at!!  We have an overcrowded railway network because the trainspotters have never spotted that they themselves have been destroying railway lines that Beeching very properly closed but, never intended to be obliterated as our trainspotters have done.  Why don't they stop destroying railway lines, first?

MORE HERE:

Media reports indicate that the E arm to Leeds is uncertain and may be cancelled.

The monetary cost, for both arms, is over £100 billion of deadly greenhouse gases from unfortunately finite fossil fuels, we must conserve URGENTLY.

External costs are ecocidal and are never taken into account (probably for that uncomfortable reason).

YET, on dedicated tracks, it is isolated from the rest of the railway network and because it goes so fast it can only stop at very few stations - outside of London at two stations (Crewe, Toton), two airports (Brum, Manchester) and three terminus stations (Brum, Manchester, Leeds).

A useless, vanity project of selfish prestige and self-aggrandisement.

£3.5 m for each tram - must be more, now!

 Hi David

Each tram is £2.5 m with the overhead wires; £3.5 m for the trams using onboard batteries!  Those figures go back two or three years, too.  They are made in Spain, I believe.

The steel tram lines have to be replaced every 15 to 20 years.  When that had to be done for Metro One, four or five businesses on the A41 at Priestfield did so little business that they had to close for good, I understand.

The £15 billion to 2040 for the 150 miles of trams, the 8 lines and 380 tram stops would include the cost of the trams but, as with HS2 costs rising massively, the £15 billion is underpriced, I would guess and depends on how much is underground.

Last decade, at least four or five years ago, Sprint diesel buses running to and from Quinton were to be £12 m, if I remember correctly.  At that time, diesel double-decker buses were £250,000 each, I believe.  That was to be the first Sprint line.  Now, the first one is Walsall to Solihull via Brum city centre at, possibly £300m, including the electric buses.  Let me know if you find something out before me, please.

This newspaper report, below was 3 years ago when there was no mention of electric Sprint.  They were all very flash, diesel buses.

 Plans for a £279 million Sprint network have be...

 

I do love trams.  They glide along the rails and are so smooth and swish and really smart.  But, when we are facing the reality of finite fossil fuels and the uncomfortable reality of climate breakdown/instability/danger, I'm prepared to lose out on my love for trams in order to postpone ecocide.  Trams replacing only some buses and some trains are too high a price to pay, I think.  Leeds and Bristol are also wanting a tram network, I've read from UK Tram Ltd (HQ at TfWM/WMCA HQ!)