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1. George Muir should be sacked. He is a true public relations disaster area. Just when rail was being thought of as a means to avoid congestion charging on road, creating positive rail publicity, George / ATOC come out with this stupid idea, likely at the behest of the Government who set them up by saying you can’t have any more money from us!

   The answer really lies in making companies who wish to relocate to the north and Scotland generous grants and have swingeing congestion charges applied to the companies AND (by way of a supplementary income tax) their directors who choose to relocate to London and the Southeast or increase the size of their workforce there. Workers move to London and the Southeast as that is where all the well-paid jobs are. Why is this? Workers do not decide where the jobs are! The simple truth is that Directors (and Senior Civil Servants) are scared stiff that they won’t be able to ‘network’ and will become invisible if they aren’t at the centre of things – IE in London. This is a poor reason for screwing up the nations transport systems and there is no reason why the public should pay for this stupid attitude. Some businesses have moved to Leeds and been very successful – more should be encouraged to go to other places.

   The rail network needs expansion NOT contraction. The government and opposition say that Rail is too expensive and cite cost-benefit analysis which PROVES the point. However, it is possible to do cost-benefit analyses that prove anything you want to (Richard Bowker was good at this). What you do is exclude factors you can’t control but which influence the outcome. As an example, a good case could be made that it is very poor value for money for the NHS to treat older sick patients and it would be financially better to not treat them and let them die, but this is political suicide so it doesn’t happen. In a similar way, Air travel does not follow the polluter pays argument, nor is duty paid on fuel in the same way as cars or trains. This means that Rail cannot compete fairly and this potentially makes some rail services lose money or make less money, possibly become targets for withdrawal / closure or require greater subsidy. Cost-benefit analysis would likely say in this case that the line should close as the Air advantage is considered outside the scope of the study.

   Where is the ROAD freight congestion charging? – haven’t heard anything about this. An obvious upgrade of the transpennine route to UIC gauge allowing trucks AND cargo to be loaded onto rail flats would free huge amounts of M62 roadspace as many trucks go from Hull to Liverpool (for Ireland) or Manchester. Why isn’t it being done? Its down to votes. There are more votes from thousands of determined truckers than there are in voters who are actually sufficiently motivated to vote about trucks causing congestion. If you upgrade the M62, you please motorists AND truckers for a short while – there’s votes in that. Another reason is its in the North and its solid Labour territory where the congestion is anyway, so no reason to invest to get votes you already have virtually guaranteed.

   What should be done?

   – smooth out the working day as suggested above
   – Increase capacity on lines, this can often be
   done by better signalling as headways are
   often appalling, together with track
   improvements
   – apply similar safety standards to ALL modes of
   transport and fairer tax regimes, THEN do cost-
   benefit analyses
   – reopen alternative / diversionary routes
   closed in 1960’s
   – provide overnight sleeper / couchette services
   on major routes, which would help reduce
   morning peak
   – only allow genuine ‘essential use’ company cars
   – set targets for large companies to use rail
   and fine those that don’t without justifiable
   reason
   – reduce first-class space significantly
   – make trains longer
   – make all airports rail connected where
   realistic

   I feel better now after that rant!

   Clive

   Comment by Clive Walton — 22 Jun 2005 on 12:25 pm | Link

2. Isn’t it time to import rickshaws and bullock-carts to britain? – they are both ‘pollution’free!
   According to Government reports the ozone layer is only over Great Britain and the only way to protect is by levying a tax on ‘everything’ and say it is to protect our future generations.
   Within the next five years Britain will be in a unique position to qualify for a hand-out from Bangaldesh, India and Pakistan!!
   Wellcome to New Britain

   Comment by c.jayasinghe — 22 Jun 2005 on 2:27 pm | Link

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