On Sun, 1 Oct 2006 01:40:07 +0100, "Davebt"
wrote:
victormeldrewsyoungerbrother wrote:
Mark B wrote:
wrote:
John Rowland wrote:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/5031222.stm
Weird. Areas of the country that *do* want tram schemes have them
refused, and areas that *don't* have them foisted upon them. Is
this a case of 'Nanny knows best?'.
Sid
Or its within the M25 - Don't the government want these
http://www.goftr.com/view.php used in the provinces so London can get
more trams etc?
'Press release 8 May 2006:-
'Moir Lockhead, Chief Executive of FirstGroup plc, said: "First is
committed to providing high quality public transport networks. [snip]
Cobblers! What a joke!
We've been waiting for years for
a) our trains between Portishead and Bristol to be reinstated, and
b) trams back in the city of Bristol
Guess what - 1st GW are in charge of both the buses, and the trains here.
They have a near monoploy of the first, so do damnall about the second!
The trams were initially killed by Dawn Primarola, through whose
constituency the trams wouldn't be running, and a Labour Council who were
frightened they might get "touched" for a financial conrtibution.
1stGW kept talking about making the railway line a concrete roadway for
guided buses, but the docks beat them to it and got most of the track
rebuilt, but the last two miles from Royal Portbury to Portishead, didn't,
and are still lying there, rusting and rotting. Come to think of it, they
are in probably in a better shape than the Hatfield track.......since
you-know-who weren't "maintaining" them!
They also said there wasn't enough track into Temple Meads, but its still
been there, as is the platform that was dedicated to our trains. Not to
mention that they have reopened all the outer platforms at TM once again,
after years of them quiet (and literally) vegetating, so only about 3 miles
of new signals would be needed.......... Oh, and reinstate the passing loop
near Pill station and one new point before Portbury.!
And they claim all this would cost millions............probably via just the
same accounting methods that enabled most of Beechings cuts to be carried
through despite more accurate figures from the protestors.
Lies, damned lies, and government statistics.
The same Queen Dawn caused her little ward to be traffic free at the
cost of the neighbours. Her objections to the tramway was purely
political - the other crook was a conservative. When my ship operated
from portzed the railway was still in commercial use (1976) but
everyone made their journeys to Bristol by road (the Avon Bridge being
finally open (it was not needed really because only holiday traffic
went or came from the West - government view ). The south Bristol
approach road still does not exisit (thanks to the rather unpleasant
Lord Wraxall) and there is still the nightmare of cross city routes
in a city divided by water crossed in such few places. Apart from
moronic Preston and his dept of transport semi closing the only
eastern approach, her highness screwing the south, beeching and his
successors wrecking a very well placed railway system both from a
goods and passenger point of view (Avonmouth Docks under Bristol City
Labour Council removed some 45 miles of cargo handling track for it to
be replaced by lorry traffic). Just thnk, there were 61 stations in
the greater Bristol area when I were a boy! These days even the BBC
ignore the place in favour of such unlovely places as Cardydd and barf
on their weather charts. In the 70 's & 80's all commercial
initiatives got diverted d'ailleurs - like Abertawe or Glasgow ( may
the gods forgive them for existing ) because they had a greater need.
My own district spawned MP's like Stafford Cripps and Wedgewood Ben so
I grew up well versed in the politics of socialism as practised on us
by the indulgent rich. Even our vicar - Mervyn Stockwood was a hell
preaching socialist who oddly enough was a Roman Kat hiding in the COE
at St Mattew Moorfields with bells, smells and boy bishops.
Ranting finished - back to a balmy 1st Oct.
Peter A
Montarlot