The Virus Crisis shows what can be done for the Climate Crisis

I think, Simon is right to say 'Stop buying.' Except, when the authorities saw the looming virus coming ever nearer to the UK, they still did nothing to prepare. Not even buying PPE! Prepare for the Really Big Crisis now by spending on compulsory insulation; compulsory solar PV; carbon allowance/fuel rationing done on fair shares for all basis; one-child family planning encouraged; eastern Europe's Fare-Free Public Transport (and NOT only for me and my ilk) to compensate for greater risk from Covid; Universal Basic Income to ensure the wealthy help the less wealthy so that we are no longer dependant on spend, spend, spend economic growth. We cut economic activity to kill the virus - do it again for climate. WE HAVE THE ANSWERS!

Greta Thunberg has said that we can learn from the virus crisis: we are all taking the science seriously and the whole world is acting decisively. Do the same for the climate crisis.

And in killing nature with all our spending and yet more spending on big infrastructure projects like HS2, we end up killing ourselves because we are part of nature, too! You are both right.

Background to the monorail and Metro at Merry Hill

Please try opening the attachment, below of the magnificent white trees.  Where they stand, between Dudley Canal and the road called Embankment, has been on the published path of the trams since the 1980s.  I can assure you that the project is that old.  The route of the tram still, to this day, runs next to the towpath between Level Street and the flat land, where I would like to see housing for the least wealthy.  At that point, where I have my over 20 year old landscape enhancement scheme, the tram line turns sharply to cross the canal to terminate in Cottage Street.

Since the 1980s, the brothers, Don and Roy Richardson who built the shopping centre on Merry Hill Farm land and on the site of the steel works, also built the monorail.  I think it is very likely that because of the councillors' plans to build the tram line, their excellent monorail was never given permission to connect with the principal mainline railway at Round Oak steel terminal that should have reopened for passenger trains then, of course.  Centro and the PTA - Passenger Transport Authority - (the councillors supposedly in charge), since 1981 have been determined to rebuild the tram network that they had mistakenly closed and dismantled only twenty years earlier in the 1950s.

Centro must have known of the monorail scheme by the private sector Richardsons but must have stopped the monorail going all the way to the mainline railway because of their superior plans for a network of trams on railways and roads.  Is this correct?  What does Roy Richardson say?  He has never responded to my approaches via Ninder Johal.  He might do to yours, Brad.  The monorail terminated next to the road that was next to the canal that was next to the railway line and Round Oak steel terminal freight station.

I see the 40 year old Metro tram project as empire building by Centro and the councillors of the PTA because they thought that only flash, swanky, electric trams could attract car drivers out of their cars onto public transport.  Trams always had priority over trains for the authorities.  Even the railway industry itself - including the railway unions that have never been bothered with their railway infrastructure being lost and the decline of their own industry.

The trams took over the first mainline railway from Snow Hill station to nearly as far as Wolverhampton's second principal mainline station called Low Level, next to the present one.  Except, it fell short by 2 Kms and was not even connected to the bus station, let alone Wolverhampton High Level station that now remains in use as the city's only station.  25% of Snow Hill station remains wasted because platform 4 was used by the trams until 2016 when the tram line was extended and opened to bypass Snow Hill station and connect, instead with Grand Central Shopping Centre and Diesel Perfumed Underground Station (in the basement of the John Lewis store).

Centro (now TfWM/WMCA/MMA) and the councillors' next tram line remains to take over our second mainline railway that is even more important than the first that was spoilt by trams when they started running in 1999.  This second is the half-used, half-finished, Worcester, Black Country, Derby "railway of national strategic significance".  DfT letter, here:

 "of national strategic significance".pdf

However, clearly, it is not of sufficient "national strategic significance" for it to be finished with passenger or even freight trains.  Only, as a shuttle tram line of 6.7 Kms in two nibble sized sections of the nationally important railway, a 2 Kms test track, a trail of trees and, as a cycle-walkway, of all things.  As a result, we have to have £106 BILLION of greenhouse gas emissions (more deadly than the virus) to give more capacity after frequent stopping "bus on rails" trams have taken over railway lines!

With best wishes

Pipe dream or nightmare coming down the tube?

“Since the lockdown: Venice's canals have become crystal clear. Italy coasts have dolphins coming nearer and nearer. Japan now has deer roaming free in the streets, and Thailand: the same with monkeys. China has record breaking pollution cuts. The Earth has already began showing signs of amazing things that are happening from the absence of human pollution. What if- and hear me out..- what if the entire human population used this as an opportunity to restart society on a greener, more environment conscious foot. What we're seeing in the span of a couple of days is amazing."

Exactly. We need to end this mad tearing around the planet at great cost to finite fossil fuels and a terrible escalation of greenhouse gases as the most unfortunate consequence.  

​We live in a materialistic rat race where we think we must have ever faster, finer and flashier ways to transport ourselves around the place. HS2 and W Midlands Metro both come to mind. Both duplicate existing trains and buses that are too mundane and ordinary for us so sophisticated earth dwellers. I think we are biting off more than ailing life support systems can chew. We need to be content with less, be happy with what we have and start exploring the local scene instead of the international world. The prospect of a premature demise from a pestilent virus is cutting the scientists and Greta's greenhouse gases.​  Not so much a pipe dream but a nightmare coming down the tube.