Greetings. It is that time of year again. ERTA produces a bi-monthly newsletter which serves our purposes and budgetary arrangements more often than not. We have people and organisations come to us from a variety of walks of life and frankly we can never satisfy everyone.
If you want more, be prepared to be part of the answer of will something happen or more and better. That is the only way we can grow and do more and better. So things like joining ERTA as a member helps us to pay our bills in the endeavour. Volunteer to help, we ask about 1 hour per week minimally. The opportunities abound.
I am convinced we can tailor something for everyone which works well with us too. To get anything done, to do anything justice requires reliability, commitment and a shared vision. Compromise to get the greater good, do not compromise to get it done! The more people I can organise to recruit more area members, focus on specific projects, team-working and making representation, case research and field work, the better. Then there's running the association, the Executive Committee, Constitutional work, administration and yes, we do seek more people to be the answer to strengthen our work.
Membership is a gateway. We do take on some non-member volunteers, but it is hard work to recruit. Sounds familiar? At ERTA we still need a flow of new blood frankly of a lower age profile. Many ask themselves "what's in it for them?" or want 'instant satisfaction' whereas many projects we engage with demands patience, sacrifice of time, interest and endeavour. We need a dedication to make the news for the right reasons in and out of season, not just follow the news or what is popular.
On the campaign front, things are happening, pockets here and there and that is of course welcome. However, the system and process is painfully slow, money is a finite resource, and we wonder sometimes whether it is being well-used for optimum effect.
Most reopenings have exceeded expected usage and indeed the closures and dismantling of the most intensive railway system in the world as once was, was based on a false premise and misconception in the first place. Some believe the closures were wholly justified and we are where we are today as the outworking default and instigated design result.
Others believe the closures were wholly political, wrong and detrimental on and off the rails in terms of legacy and impact. Not all can be reopened now, many cases are too far gone. So rewinding the clock is not a realistic option. Where salvage and recovery can be done, needs to be kept open as an option, identified and a system needs creating which moves towards reopening more. In every way, we're running out of time in a Climate Emergency and the resources to rectify or seize opportunities in a timely manner.
One Christian Church friend I respect, acquainted with management, said to me "the car will be the last to go". It threw me slightly, but if we settle for less, what could it look like to turn for example 90% freight currently by road to 50% by rail more? Northampton-Coventry-southern rail bypass of Nuneaton-Leicester is possible to do if West Coast Capacity enables on the back of HS2, but like Werrington near Peterborough, is a great way round and direct roads have the advantage.
So getting more direct rails makes good sense and working back, protecting routes and working towards reopening seems prudent. It is also as every other scenario, protracted. Some areas are excelling more than others, other places are virtually rail deserts.
It will take a very bold and committed government to redirect away from £40 billion new roads to £20 billion rail reopenings budgets and only £20 billion new roads, but that is what we need, not more money, but a better balance and level playing field to enable do-ability more for what we wish for, not avariced 'all eggs in one basket' purported panacea mega projects, which promise more in decades, whilst proverbial 'Rome' burns or floods today!
Please stay with us, encourage others and let's work together, however loosely to see some social, environmental and economic justice done and our area of focus has to be getting the transport right surely?
To join, look at this page on our website: https://ertarail.co.
Thank you.
To receive our free, no obligation pdf newsletter, please email requests to richard.erta@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment