A41 West of Aylesbury

[Bonefish Blues]

OTOH Bicester's growing like fury too, yet it all seems a bit better planned to me?

[Sixpackpert]

I was born in Aylesbury and grew up in the area. Moved away in 2005 when I was 28, the roads were shocking then, nothing has changed then!

[alscar]

Bonefish Blues said:

OTOH Bicester's growing like fury too, yet it all seems a bit better planned to me?

Other than with the roadworks that seem to last forever actually getting to and from !

[alscar]

bucksmanuk said:

Current population of the town is 58-60,000.
Predicted developments take this to 100-103,000 by 2035, which is a monumental increase- just in time for locals to get to use HS2 - oh wait....
Like you say, how is everyone going to get from A to B? take cars out of the equation and the town becomes stationary.

Maybe with all the readers above, we could do with a coffee and cake event – even if it’s just to moan about potholes…. Just a thought

That’s one hell of increase - perhaps by then they can surround the town with a complete oval bypass which on certain days of the year they can then torn into a racetrack.
More practically I wonder whether any more shops are planned to go alongside all these houses ?

[alscar]

I posted this in another thread on HS2 but thought it worth repeating here.

Suggestions today that “ delays “ are now a serious option - I assume they mean additional delays or maybe we could get really lucky and they have to mothball it until HMG have saved up a bit more.
They could then start to repair Bucks roads which HS2 traffic has tried to destroy.

[Bonefish Blues]

By way of another example of the stfest that is County road planning and maintenance we've just posted an objection to a proposal to put a 150 acre solar development cheek by jowel with a 30-acre village.

The entire extent of Oxfordshire CC's examination of the transport issues associated with building it is to look at Streetview. Seriously. So they are happy then, despite the fact that the road is completely broken and the temporary lay-bys installed to allow full-sized EWR tippers to pass other traffic will have been removed by then.

We've suggested that the lazy-arse comes and does a site visit and forms an informed view...

[alscar]

Sorry couldn’t help reposting another comment made earlier on the Trains thread after driving home from seeing friends in Chalfont and seeing yet more HS2 devastation - let’s alone the state of the roads getting to and from there.

I get those points but HS2 appears to be a vanity project solution based on original numbers being made up and in trouble of exceeding the budget from almost day 1. Add in Covid and the current cost estimates to finish and then the minor fact that GBUK is bust and literally cannot afford it and the more comments I see from HMG that “ we are totally committed to it “ the more convinced I am that it won’t actually happen !
It can’t be delivered because the money isn’t there and no one can predict what the payback would be like
but I guess the answer to that is simply never.

[Turn7]

I wouldnt be at all surprised if it finally gets mothballed tbh....

Costs are out of control, as always with any Govt project, UKPLC is skint. IF thewy mothball it now, the tories are pretty much toast next GEand Keir could just "forget" about it and spend the money something usefull, like, say, a Police force, or some Nurses.....

[smn159]

Doubt it will mothballed... I expect that those contracts for Tory party donors are pretty watertight

[Jurgen Schmidt]

One of the many problems with HS2 is that it is run by a committee, which removes any high level decisions, it really needs one brave soul to step forward and cancel it. They need to watch the Matt Damon film Le Mans to understand the problems with a committee

I struggle to understand who is going to use HS2?

- Students - Can't afford it - the Chiltern Line is better value
- OAPs - Can't afford it either
- Working families - will use a car, is much cheaper than a family train ticket and don't have to haul luggage and screaming kids with them. But if they did have to use it, they would either use Chiltern Line or Virgin Line to Bham - What's an extra 20 minutes or so?
- Business folk - Covid has catapulted Zoom/Skype/Teams usage and many offices are running on empty, so is this still a valid argument?

I just don't see how the benefits outlay the costs, that and the MASSIVE environmental costs/apocalypse

[alscar]

Jurgen Schmidt said:

One of the many problems with HS2 is that it is run by a committee, which removes any high level decisions, it really needs one brave soul to step forward and cancel it. They need to watch the Matt Damon film Le Mans to understand the problems with a committee

I struggle to understand who is going to use HS2?

- Students - Can't afford it - the Chiltern Line is better value
- OAPs - Can't afford it either
- Working families - will use a car, is much cheaper than a family train ticket and don't have to haul luggage and screaming kids with them. But if they did have to use it, they would either use Chiltern Line or Virgin Line to Bham - What's an extra 20 minutes or so?
- Business folk - Covid has catapulted Zoom/Skype/Teams usage and many offices are running on empty, so is this still a valid argument?

I just don't see how the benefits outlay the costs, that and the MASSIVE environmental costs/apocalypse

Most of your very fair points also all applied to HS2 way prior to Covid and I would suggest also applied when someone said right at the start “ I’ve got a good idea “.
I never quite understood why they hadn’t put a station in Bucks but I guess that’s because at 250 mph they don’t want to stop.
Travelling therefore to London to catch HS2 to then come back past where we live is going to add quite some journey time to Birmingham - I realise that’s not fair as if I wanted to go to Birmingham I’d just go on the Chiltern line as you say.
Wouldn’t it be great if it was mothballed and then some of the workers can also be employed for the next few years putting things right although not sure how 300 year old oak trees get replaced.

[alscar]

For those Bucks members I had made the error of just posting and exchanging views in the Boats and Trains thread on HS2.
Have a cup of tea and point out the errors of my ways.
Perhaps that coffee meet suggested by some is still a good idea.

[thebraketester]

Lost ranger said:

This morning I was on the bike and used this road for the first time in a few years. Out of Aylesbury, past the GLF NSL sign, under the bridge into a long fairly open right hander. Looked a decent road surface but half way round I thought my suspension had developed a fault. Very bouncy and disconcerting. I'm not sure it could actually cause you to lose control, but it could certainly tempt you to lift off at an inopportune moment.

It’s no better heading SE towards the M25 it’s a terrible road, which is a shame because it could be great.

[bucksmanuk]

alscar said:

Jurgen Schmidt said:

One of the many problems with HS2 is that it is run by a committee, which removes any high level decisions, it really needs one brave soul to step forward and cancel it. They need to watch the Matt Damon film Le Mans to understand the problems with a committee

I struggle to understand who is going to use HS2?

- Students - Can't afford it - the Chiltern Line is better value
- OAPs - Can't afford it either
- Working families - will use a car, is much cheaper than a family train ticket and don't have to haul luggage and screaming kids with them. But if they did have to use it, they would either use Chiltern Line or Virgin Line to Bham - What's an extra 20 minutes or so?
- Business folk - Covid has catapulted Zoom/Skype/Teams usage and many offices are running on empty, so is this still a valid argument?

I just don't see how the benefits outlay the costs, that and the MASSIVE environmental costs/apocalypse

Most of your very fair points also all applied to HS2 way prior to Covid and I would suggest also applied when someone said right at the start “ I’ve got a good idea “.
I never quite understood why they hadn’t put a station in Bucks but I guess that’s because at 250 mph they don’t want to stop.
Travelling therefore to London to catch HS2 to then come back past where we live is going to add quite some journey time to Birmingham - I realise that’s not fair as if I wanted to go to Birmingham I’d just go on the Chiltern line as you say.
Wouldn’t it be great if it was mothballed and then some of the workers can also be employed for the next few years putting things right although not sure how 300 year old oak trees get replaced.

I was driving past the other day and thought of this thread - here's the view of HS2 just outside Wendover

[Turn7]

Its heartbreaking to see whats being done here, they have literally desecrated the Chilterns and many many other ares in the name of filling their mates back pockets.

Greenfields have become the Orc factories of Isengard.....