to Mel Jones, BCC transport planner

Dear Mel

Please check this out:

I thought the whole idea, Waseem is NOT to spend, spend, spend as if there is no tomorrow but, to reduce our consumption of everything, to leave something for future generations to inherit.

You said at Carrs Lane the other Sunday that you wanted mass transit built to make public transport the best it could possibly be.  Or, words to that effect.  That means Andy Street's £15 billion to 2040 for underground and overground trams over 150 miles, 8 additional lines and 380 tram stops to duplicate/replace some buses and trains in the W Midlands.

Spending means yet more fossil fuel burning and more greenhouse gases to exacerbate the climate emergency.  The ongoing Metro "bus on rails" tram project is a very BIG spender indeed.  Especially, when all it does is duplicate or replace buses and trains and, to escalate the runaway greenhouse effect.

 6 scandals on the 40th anniversary of the W Mid...

SUGGESTIONS:

Where there is a dual carriageway, electric buses on a dedicated bus lane with traffic lights switching to green as buses approach?  All other vehicles are confined to the outside lane.

Electric taxis and electric cars to use the nearside lane outside the rush hour?

Work bus to collect employees and then take them home at the end of the day?

Compulsory workplace parking levy to deter motorists - as in Nottingham?

Most car parking removed within the Clean Air Zone?

Don't destroy the remaining, last half of the once free-flowing, low pollution, inner ring road, A38.

Minimise our fossil fuel use and all consumption to act responsibly, effectively and logically over the Covid, climate, nature, ecological emergency.

Best wishes

Just too many people and far too many of the wrong type of personal transport!

"the Toll Road has totally failed to divert traffic".  This is untrue.  The large bulk of the 34,000 vehicles using it each day would otherwise be on the M6.  From my calculation, at 7 miles traveled for a litre of fuel (or, 4 litres used to motor along the M6 Toll), the toll charge is similar to what most motorists are paying in fuel for the 27 miles and the £11 charge for HGVs must be much less than their fuel used in the 27 miles.  Therefore, the charge is well worth paying for the fast diversion of the congested and often stop/start M6.

On the other hand, much of the road that runs parallel to the M6 Toll is restricted to 50 mph.  For cars, 55 mph in top gear is the optimum speed for maximum fuel saving and lowest carbon emissions.  But, stop start congestion on the M6 is not!

If a car's running costs are 44p per mile, the £5.50 toll is 48% of the running costs for the 27 miles.

34,000 motorists, I think, are very sensible in paying it.  I am one motorist who would not want to discourage them from doing so!  The M6 Toll is a great success for the 34,000 using it every day and they can easily afford to pay the toll when you take into account all the other costs in buying and using a car that are many times greater.  We all, somehow, manage to find the money to swan around in our cars but cannot, so easily, find the money for parking fees and tolls!

MEL, the owners are heavily in debt from the construction of the road.  They are also committed to paying £100m towards the construction of the link road to the M54.