Austerity to Political Settlement to Despair?
Dear All,
The Government is giving mixed messages. On the one
hand it says it wants East-West Rail and the allocation of money in the
Chancellor's Statement was followed by a statement by Rt. Hon. Chris Graying
M.P. Secretary of State for a new company to be set up to deliver
Oxford-Cambridge rail link. How that will rub along with the East-West
Consortium and Chiltern Railways who have 'evergreen' railway delivery
capability built into their 'unique' 20 year Franchise is far from clear.
But considering our Councils have gone on record in
local papers bemoaning austerity, cuts to services, holes in budgets, community
care calls and much more, surely the allocation/sudden finding of £3.5 billion
for an exact same axis Oxford-Cambridge super highway beggars credulity and yet
that is the done deal "if you want the railway, you must have a new road
thrust upon you" and everyone in the room signs up without any spoken
thought of objection - we have roads, they are busy, accident prone and
congested and we need the rejuvenating, capacity creating rail alternative
which has been denied in 50 years of growth (closure 1967- current 2017).
Here's the story from an Oxfordshire perspective
rolling out across the Oxbridge arc. It will inform massive development
brownfield land creation and take, diminish the rural character and deliver
hoards of traffic trying to enter urban areas which lack the land space without
de-characterising demolition and widening urban highways at detriment to
aestheics and pedestrian/cyclists and which will bung up junctions at M40, M1
and A1 accordingly. The new roundabout at Black Cat Roundabout although
doubled, still has long tail backs. All this growth just spirals with bypasses
of bypasses to accommodate it at any cost whilst people lie on trolleys and die
in hospitals for want of more cash.
Clearly the clinical demand we must have a new road
is made by people who are not attuned to compassion or a sense of proportion
and balance and if roads only has not worked - many towns suffer from closed
shop syndrome and offices above not filled whilst we have a housing and
homeless crisis - shows we're not doing joined up-ness and there's a whole
house burnt out just off the roundabout at Roff Avenue/Clapham Road Bedford
opposite the North End Club which has been redundant for years - no money,
overlooked or lack of potential realisation - the result is disparity.
New £3.5bn Oxford-Cambridge Expressway route could
pass through protected Green Belt
New £3.5bn Oxford-Cambridge Expressway route could
pass through protected G...
HIGHWAY bosses are set to recommend a new £3.5bn
expressway passes south of Oxford through protected Green Belt ...
Please vote with your feet and support our events. https://ertarail.com/events/
As Nick Ross used to say "don't have
nightmares!"
Yours sincerely,
Richard Pill
Addendum for perusal: http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Rail-News/hs2-can-only-be-as-good-as-local-rail-connections-make-it?utm_content=buffer80652&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oxford-to-cambridge-expressway-strategic-study-interim-report
Addendum for perusal: http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Rail-News/hs2-can-only-be-as-good-as-local-rail-connections-make-it?utm_content=buffer80652&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oxford-to-cambridge-expressway-strategic-study-interim-report
ERTA Principal Officer, Campaigns Coordinator, Media and Bedfordshire Area Rep.:
Mr Richard Pill,
T. 01234 330090
ERTA Principal Officer, Campaigns Coordinator, Media and Bedfordshire Area Rep.:
Mr Richard Pill,
T. 01234 330090
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