Finally!! The Lib Dems come up with a decent policy...
Discussion
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8603009.stm
I've always thought that the railway is a major part of the solution to the overcrowding problems on todays roads. If the railway can be improved to take a lot of the strain off the road network, then the need to keep throwing money at putting 'sticking plasters' over todays road problems would be reduced.
I'm a firm petrol-head, but I must admit that for long journeys, I'm more than happy to take the train (and save my pertol for driving on roads that will actually give some pleasure). Means I can also have a cup of tea/bottle of beer and read Evo magazine and let the train take the strain.
I've always thought that the railway is a major part of the solution to the overcrowding problems on todays roads. If the railway can be improved to take a lot of the strain off the road network, then the need to keep throwing money at putting 'sticking plasters' over todays road problems would be reduced.
I'm a firm petrol-head, but I must admit that for long journeys, I'm more than happy to take the train (and save my pertol for driving on roads that will actually give some pleasure). Means I can also have a cup of tea/bottle of beer and read Evo magazine and let the train take the strain.
It'll only work if they are cost effective, on time and go to where you want to go. I catch the train to London to work as they are usually on timeish, sensibly priced and gets me to a public transport hub.
I couldn't catch a train to visit my parents for example, as it would mean one train change, then I end up 5 miles away. A car would be quicker, cheaper.
I imagine if they open the old lines that aren't used that often, they won't run that many trains on them, making them a bit useless.
I couldn't catch a train to visit my parents for example, as it would mean one train change, then I end up 5 miles away. A car would be quicker, cheaper.
I imagine if they open the old lines that aren't used that often, they won't run that many trains on them, making them a bit useless.
How many long journeys are there where you'd feel comfortable just walking up to the ticket office and buying a ticket in full comfort that you were a) paying a fair price and b) not paying 3x more than someone who'd been able to book a ticket 3 weeks earlier on the same half-empty train?
Yes more railways is good in principle but until they are made cheap for people to use they just won't. Our local cross-city line is a great example of where it's cheaper and easier to get the train to Birmingham than it is to drive and park, but if I want to go to London on a whim I need to bend over and lube up.
Yes more railways is good in principle but until they are made cheap for people to use they just won't. Our local cross-city line is a great example of where it's cheaper and easier to get the train to Birmingham than it is to drive and park, but if I want to go to London on a whim I need to bend over and lube up.
JagLover said:
How is cutting the already pitiful roads's budget by £3bn to pay for it a good idea?
In the short term, it's not, but continually throwing money at the roads without a decent long-term strategy isn't a good idea either. Have any roads/routes near you improved over the last 10 years?
Spend billions on opening old railways that were closed cos no one wanted to use them? No one wanted to use them many many years ago which is why they closed, and this is before people had got used to their airconditioned metal boxes, with their cds player and digital radios, handsfree carphones so they can make and received calls from business colleagues and friends etc in relative privacy without strangers hearing your business. And metal boxes where they get to vet and agree who is sat their with them, what diseases they have, how smelly they are etc etc.
Oh and not forgetting those boxes that can actually go to where you want to go to, not to a big dirty building in the same town or a town close to where you want to go to!
If they wish to cut traffic levels down, they need to encourage people to travel less, not travel the same but in a different mode of transport. They dont need to tax people anymore on travel, but could encourage people and businesses to do less travel, maybe help some businesses put in infrastructure to allow some staff to work from home occasionally, use video conferencing more, etc. But when people have to own and run cars to get to the stations in the first place,(and dont say they can get busses, cos they wont use them and if the service was there it would not be viable), they will just use their cars to go where they want to at their convenience.
Oh, and all the people living near these old defunct railways are going to love having the noise and disruption of the recommisioning and on going use! There's a great way to lose some more votes!
Oh and not forgetting those boxes that can actually go to where you want to go to, not to a big dirty building in the same town or a town close to where you want to go to!
If they wish to cut traffic levels down, they need to encourage people to travel less, not travel the same but in a different mode of transport. They dont need to tax people anymore on travel, but could encourage people and businesses to do less travel, maybe help some businesses put in infrastructure to allow some staff to work from home occasionally, use video conferencing more, etc. But when people have to own and run cars to get to the stations in the first place,(and dont say they can get busses, cos they wont use them and if the service was there it would not be viable), they will just use their cars to go where they want to at their convenience.
Oh, and all the people living near these old defunct railways are going to love having the noise and disruption of the recommisioning and on going use! There's a great way to lose some more votes!
Edited by poo at Paul's on Monday 5th April 10:45
No. No it isn't. It is just ever more of the same anti-car crap. The only real difference is that the LibDems are doing it for so called green reasons, whereas Liebour would do it to create unionised non-jobs.
Those stations and lines were generally closed for a reason. So, lets spend a fortune reopening them, then a fortune subsidizing them, while the passengers themselves get raped buying tickets!
How many pot holes could we fill with all that cash?
Those stations and lines were generally closed for a reason. So, lets spend a fortune reopening them, then a fortune subsidizing them, while the passengers themselves get raped buying tickets!
How many pot holes could we fill with all that cash?
monthefish said:
I've always thought that the railway is a major part of the solution to the overcrowding problems on todays roads.
Really ? Waste money on a Victorian transport solution
when the UK has one of the smallest trunk road networks
in Europe ?
Rail is responsible for about 5% of all journeys
and road for perhaps 80%.
It looks to me to be more economically sane to spend
money getting the UK's trunk road network up to the European
average than waste it on something that's doing only
5% of the job.
Of course, the NIMBYs have already won and trunk
road improvements are very few and far between indeed.
Which is a shame, because any A level Geography student
can tell you that the UK is economically doomed with
such poor road infrastructure.
The city folk do love their railways. You can go from city to city without ever needing to travel any other way. They even have railways that go to where the city folk can take their holidays.
The town folk, on the other hand, do not love the railways. Because they don't go to anywhere they need to get to. The same is true of the rural folk.
When you are an MP and you travel, on expenses, from your constituency to London and back the railways work beautifully and you don't even need to pay for them! Which is why a mode of transport caters to as few as 5% of journeys gets the attention it does.
f
k the Lib Dems and their anti-road policies. fk them very much.
Where roads go prosperity follows. Shame old Johnny Prescott and his ten year transport plan turned out to be yet another figment of New Labour's imagination.
The town folk, on the other hand, do not love the railways. Because they don't go to anywhere they need to get to. The same is true of the rural folk.
When you are an MP and you travel, on expenses, from your constituency to London and back the railways work beautifully and you don't even need to pay for them! Which is why a mode of transport caters to as few as 5% of journeys gets the attention it does.
f
k the Lib Dems and their anti-road policies. fk them very much. Where roads go prosperity follows. Shame old Johnny Prescott and his ten year transport plan turned out to be yet another figment of New Labour's imagination.
dcb said:
monthefish said:
I've always thought that the railway is a major part of the solution to the overcrowding problems on todays roads.
Really ? Waste money on a Victorian transport solution
when the UK has one of the smallest trunk road networks
in Europe ?
Rail is responsible for about 5% of all journeys
and road for perhaps 80%.
In the UK ~ 90% of all journeys take place by car.
turbobloke said:
dcb said:
monthefish said:
I've always thought that the railway is a major part of the solution to the overcrowding problems on todays roads.
Really ? Waste money on a Victorian transport solution
when the UK has one of the smallest trunk road networks
in Europe ?
Rail is responsible for about 5% of all journeys
and road for perhaps 80%.
In the UK ~ 90% of all journeys take place by car.
Spend more of the same tax screwed out of the motorist improving the roads where necessary - there are some awful bottlenecks caused by bodged junctions - M1 J19 and J21 anyone?
Other countries manage good road and rail network. Why are we are particularly crap at this?
Edited by Funkateer on Monday 5th April 11:38
Finally!! The Lib Dems come up with a decent policy...
What! They're going to jack it in.
We don't really have space for a wishy washy centre (left as hell) party!
Utter wastes of space, all of them. The fact that they keep getting in down here bolsters the rumour that the Cornish are stupid inbreds.
What! They're going to jack it in.
We don't really have space for a wishy washy centre (left as hell) party!
Utter wastes of space, all of them. The fact that they keep getting in down here bolsters the rumour that the Cornish are stupid inbreds.
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