A rant on Transport Infrastructure
Discussion
The Transport Infrastructure of the UK is a shambles,
We've seen a progressive worsening of the situation for the last couple of decades with successive governments failing to take concerted action to reverse this trend.
I need to commute daily from Hull to Leeds, I have no choice I cannot catch a Train even though I would like to because the Transpennine route from Hull to Manchester that stops are Leeds is creaking at the seems. Trains are continuously delayed and cancelled at short notice most days of the week, what should be a one hour stress free trip typically takes 2 or 3 hours each way most days. The trains are over crowded and despite a disability that make standing or walking for long period incredibly painful I rarely get a seat in the evening and I'm left hobbling badly the next day.
So I drive, on a typical day this journey takes two hours because the M62 is gridlocked and the recent 'improvements' of installing a so called smart motorway have made the situation worse not better.
If I get a really early start, rising at 5am and leaving before 6am travelling the roads are quiet and this journey takes a little over 1 hour. If I travel later, during the regular 'rush hour' this journey takes two hours and If there is any incident this regularly rises to three hours or more.
This problem effects tens of thousands of cars every day, causing massive waste of fuel and time for Car and Trucks that must be costing the country massively in terms of reduced productivity.
It is long past the time for this country to make a significant investment in Transport Infrastructure, and we all need to start putting pressure on our MPs before the election to make this happen. I will be writing to my MP and I urge you to do the same and share your experiences here, share it on social media.
Act now or risk inaction and a further deterioration for another five years.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mps/
We've seen a progressive worsening of the situation for the last couple of decades with successive governments failing to take concerted action to reverse this trend.
I need to commute daily from Hull to Leeds, I have no choice I cannot catch a Train even though I would like to because the Transpennine route from Hull to Manchester that stops are Leeds is creaking at the seems. Trains are continuously delayed and cancelled at short notice most days of the week, what should be a one hour stress free trip typically takes 2 or 3 hours each way most days. The trains are over crowded and despite a disability that make standing or walking for long period incredibly painful I rarely get a seat in the evening and I'm left hobbling badly the next day.
So I drive, on a typical day this journey takes two hours because the M62 is gridlocked and the recent 'improvements' of installing a so called smart motorway have made the situation worse not better.
If I get a really early start, rising at 5am and leaving before 6am travelling the roads are quiet and this journey takes a little over 1 hour. If I travel later, during the regular 'rush hour' this journey takes two hours and If there is any incident this regularly rises to three hours or more.
This problem effects tens of thousands of cars every day, causing massive waste of fuel and time for Car and Trucks that must be costing the country massively in terms of reduced productivity.
It is long past the time for this country to make a significant investment in Transport Infrastructure, and we all need to start putting pressure on our MPs before the election to make this happen. I will be writing to my MP and I urge you to do the same and share your experiences here, share it on social media.
Act now or risk inaction and a further deterioration for another five years.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mps/
I blame commuters for not living nearer to work 
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/biggest-upgrade...
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/biggest-upgrade...
I like the way whenever transport infrastructure is discussed as being a problem on the BBC it's entirely in the context of there not being enough trains and railways.
Radio 4 did a big thing on transport links in the north of England recently, and you'd think the roads didn't exist. Or if they did it was as a delivery system for buses.
Radio 4 did a big thing on transport links in the north of England recently, and you'd think the roads didn't exist. Or if they did it was as a delivery system for buses.
speedyguy said:
I blame commuters for not living nearer to work
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/biggest-upgrade...
It's not easy when affordable housing is typically a good distance from the areas where lots of people work, especially when it comes to towns / cities. People cant afford a house or sometimes even a flat near work, so they have to move out and commute in by train, car, motorcycle. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/biggest-upgrade...
While I agree the transport system isn't great, There are options that might make your journey easier.
You can for example reserve a seat for the train, even if you have a season ticket.
OK - So it won't make the trains run on time, but 99% of the time you will have a seat.
Are you able to change your hours of working? So early start, early finish?
Or do 4 longer days during the week, then a shorter day.
I travel from Doncaster to Sheffield usually by train and more often getting earlier trains in the morning to avoid the rush. The added benefit is if I oversleep I catch the packed train and will still be on time for work.
As for driving, most days it can take over an hour to drive 20ish miles, compared to 30mins on a weekend.
As I said, none of these will fix the transport system, but they might make your commute better and less stressful.
You can for example reserve a seat for the train, even if you have a season ticket.
OK - So it won't make the trains run on time, but 99% of the time you will have a seat.
Are you able to change your hours of working? So early start, early finish?
Or do 4 longer days during the week, then a shorter day.
I travel from Doncaster to Sheffield usually by train and more often getting earlier trains in the morning to avoid the rush. The added benefit is if I oversleep I catch the packed train and will still be on time for work.
As for driving, most days it can take over an hour to drive 20ish miles, compared to 30mins on a weekend.
As I said, none of these will fix the transport system, but they might make your commute better and less stressful.
My solution to a long commute was to find a job nearer home, I went from 35 miles round the M60 to 17 Miles into Cheshire, then the company moved, ten miles nearer home and eventually let us work from home, so total commute this week has been 28 miles.
Really, its the only solution, or move nearer work and I know it is easier said than done.
You cant control government transport policy, the trains or the traffic but the one bit you have control over is the start and end points of your journey, realistically it is only going to get worse, no matter what the government do, the capacity gets swallowed up, the population is getting bigger.
Really, its the only solution, or move nearer work and I know it is easier said than done.
You cant control government transport policy, the trains or the traffic but the one bit you have control over is the start and end points of your journey, realistically it is only going to get worse, no matter what the government do, the capacity gets swallowed up, the population is getting bigger.
thatdude said:
speedyguy said:
I blame commuters for not living nearer to work
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/biggest-upgrade...
It's not easy when affordable housing is typically a good distance from the areas where lots of people work, especially when it comes to towns / cities. People cant afford a house or sometimes even a flat near work, so they have to move out and commute in by train, car, motorcycle. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/biggest-upgrade...
ks than do that rather than an 11 mile 30mins tops train ride ( or nearly 2 hrs each way by car 
)V8forweekends said:
mph1977 said:
I blame the nimbys
Dunno how you work that out - no-one listens to the NIMBYsalso a proportion of nimbys will ally with the crustys/ swampies when push comes to shove
mph1977 said:
V8forweekends said:
mph1977 said:
I blame the nimbys
Dunno how you work that out - no-one listens to the NIMBYsalso a proportion of nimbys will ally with the crustys/ swampies when push comes to shove
I agree the inquiries and consultations are a waste of time and money, but I blame the Lawyers and politicians for that - they have created a system that pretends to consult but actually wastes a flip load of time and gives the professionals a good living, with the end result being they do whatever the flip they wanted in the first place. That's not NIMBYs fault though.
Martin4x4 said:
It is long past the time for this country to make a significant investment in Transport Infrastructure, and we all need to start putting pressure on our MPs before the election to make this happen.
Not going to happen - period.Politicians are only interested in what affects them during the course of a single term of parliament - not major infrastructure decisions that span across 2, 3 or even 4 of them.
That's why the country is in such a state, and decisions about nuc power (20 years in the making!) additional runway capacity (10+ years) and god knows what else never get made or delayed until the next lot come in etc.
Govt prefer to spend the money on the creaking unfit for purpose NHS or the welfare state than supporting people that actually need to get to work everyday (unless they can see it as a way of taxing us of course)
a world war seems to have helped many european countries re-develop their road, train and general transport infrastructure from scratch, as oppose to using old, small congested cart tracks that then became roads.........
its perhaps a bit extreme as a way forward though and might lead to loss of life.
mind you there would be less commuters on the road then.
of course there might not any roads left to drive on, so its a partial win.
its perhaps a bit extreme as a way forward though and might lead to loss of life.
mind you there would be less commuters on the road then.
of course there might not any roads left to drive on, so its a partial win.
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