ERTA London Forum Minutes Friday 17th September 2021 - All Welcome!

Minutes of ERTA London Forum Friday 17th September 2pm food, 

business 3-5pm The Barrel Vault, Unit 23, St Pancras International Station, Pancras Road, London N1C 4QP 020-7837-5151 https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/london/the-barrel-vault-st-pancras Convenors Messrs Simon Barber and David Ferguson T. 0208 9774181 E. daferguson1212@gmail.com  and Mr Simon Barber, T. 0208 940 4399, E. simon4barber@gmail.com

Present: Colin Crawford, Simon Barber, David Ferguson and Richard Pill

 

1. Appointment of someone to chair the meeting and someone to take notes: Simon Chaired, Richard took minutes.

2. Apologies for absence: David Shamash, Josh Welby, Conway Castle-Knight and Cllr Mohammad Butt.

3. Covid-19 Consideration Impact:

a. Taken as read.

b. has affected travel and public transport cuts a concern in the light of less footfall.

c. However, according to Colin, freight by rail is up, which is positive.

4. London Pamphlet Review – what’s in, out, likely, unlikely, supported or not?: Pamphlet approved and is ERTA policy. New ideas need compiling, research and to be worked up with a running by Councils to see their views and also recruit volunteers to work on projects. Us 4 cannot do the whole nationwide transport work and advocacy, so planting ideas good, but we need more on-board to enable progression.

5. Muswell Hill Metro: David and Simon to forge better links and encourage them and them us also.

6. London Underground Extensions: Epping-Harlow and discussion was had on both St Albans – Hatfield and Croxley Link at Watford. Needs more people to help usher along.

7. London Orbital Railways: OUR FOCUS must be Woking-Heathrow-Old Oak Common direct linkage with Chiltern Lines for Aylesbury-Guildford arcingly including Brackley GC and Banbury Chiltern-South Coast arc and London orbital.

David suggested M25 corridor from South West Main Line be looked at by him. He would sound out local councils and MPs with Simon and report back any interest/research more. It was suggested Leonard Lean writes to councils and TfL not us and reports on fruits of his letters to those who have more power, authority and enablement to research and produce studies to assess his ideas.

8. Links to/from and through lines with Heathrow any and all directions: Must be focused and united in supporting a through, joined up link north-south. Simon and Colin to do Skype meetings with Chiltern, Southern Heathrow and others to review the potential scope of support and sense in taking some interest in it.

9. New Lower Thames Transport Tunnel: Decided to ask Peter McBeath for updates, but we want rail only, not road and rail.

10. Silvertown Tunnel – should be rail, walking and cycling not roads. See 13 b below for actioning. But basically, no to more roads, yes to traffic reduction alternatives.

11. Crossrail: Colin said it was a great scheme and would be reviewing it with colleagues. Colin to liaise with Josh Welby, Simon and David and work together. Others welcome.

12. Pitsea-Rayleigh support/someone to do research, make the case/take photos (see 13) Simon to work at recruiting support. David to write to councils on Heathrow, through links and lines and gauge interest external to ourselves. To work and jot down on paper with modern maps and ascertain overground or underground and what blockages maybe encountered.

13. Area Reps./ Volunteers – any offers/North East, South East, Central and North West wanted:

a. Simon to contact Voluntary Bureaus for someone to help with North East London/Essex border area for Pitsea-Rayleigh, making a case, and courting support.

b. Simon to contact https://stopsilvertowntn.com/ with a view to mutual links, support and interest. We felt it should not be road based, but rather rail, cycle and pedestrian. Cutting congestion, exhaust fumes and pollution generally was held as an important goal and outcome of our proposals and we should form links and alliances with groups and organisations heading our way or objecting to roads impositions.

c. Colin to contact Railfuture on Grants for our costs and also court support for our pamphlet and schemes. It was felt some were competitive and dismissive in some areas sadly.

14. Any Other Business:

a. Simon and David to approach John Stewart of HACAN to see whether he would be willing to be a Patron.

b. Josh Welby confirmed as ERTA London North Western area rep. He is warmly encouraged to attend future meetings and liaise and see what he can do to encourage the priorities set out in our Pamphlet.

c. Rugby Forum approved for Saturday 30^th October 14.00 at https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/warwickshire/rupert-brooke-rugby Rupert Brooke 01788 576759, 8–10 Castle Street, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV21 2TP

d. Colin Crawford to host Great Central Zoom Meetings or share with Iain Sear. It was felt inappropriate for Owen O’Neill to host such zoom meetings if he doesn’t see any business case for reopening/rebuilding a GC Corridor railway between Grendon-Calvert-Brackley East-Woodford-Willoughby – Rugby et al. However, Colin would encourage Owen to help us elsewhere, commit to working with Sara Homer on delivering the Brackmills rail link rebuild and other projects including Rugby-Lutterworth-Narborough and Welland Valley Railway link to Peterborough. That seems plenty to be focusing on for him plus his other commitments.

e. David Ferguson to deliver Guildford flyers. Inside A3 urban domestic door-to-door cordons first then post A3 cordon urban areas door-to-door without any deviations. Avoid commercial outlets.

f. David Ferguson to deliver GC flyers in this order Buckingham-Bicester bus No 18 Bicester-Buckingham Bus: https://bustimes.org/services/18-buckingham-steeple-claydon-bicester

Then Brackley, Woodford, Willoughby, Rugby before 30^th October Forum. Simon to market it. David to do 250 flyers per outlet each. Richard given cheque for bulk printing costs of £200 worth for this exercise.

g. Simon to contact Transport for All (TFA) for flagging up disabled access and associated access to public transport issues and make common cause.

h. Colin flagged the idea of one EC meeting per month and one Forum per month, two forums was felt excessive given everything else we are doing. However, Richard said Forums help focus on specific regions and areas of campaign work and where it is attended by people, makes for expansion.

i. Simon liaising with Iain Sear to get the Events page up to scratch asap and continually ensuring all relevant information is done.

15. Day, Date, Time, Place of Next Forum Physical Meeting and/or Zoom: Saturday 5th February 2022 14.00 food, 15.00 business at The Barrel Vault, Unit 23, St Pancras International Station, Pancras Road, London N1C 4QP 020-7837-5151 https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/london/the-barrel-vault-st-pancras Convenors Messrs Simon Barber and David Ferguson T. 0208 9774181 

E. daferguson1212@gmail.com  and Mr Simon Barber, T. 0208 940 4399, 

E. simon4barber@gmail.com

If people don’t bother to communicate with these people, it will be assumed they will not be attending. We reserve the right to change business section to the St Pancras Grande for more space, peace and focus. Meeting finished 16.00 hours.

Details of our London pamphlet can be obtained by scrolling down our Publicity Page: https://ertarail.co.uk/publicity/ or pdf via email requests to richard.erta@gmail.com