Air pollution is a problem. It is invisible, but for many an ever-present reality. People are being used as filters and are left exposed daily to toxins and particulates they breathe in and these have numerous, all ages, detrimental effects urban and rural.
Vehicle dependency has been mainstream with us for about 100 years. 60 years ago, the alternative to road proliferation to cater for ever-more road-based vehicles was taken out and disabled with closures of local lines and informing an industry and network infrastructure inadequate to respond to growing people, places, demand-supply chains and court new audiences too. So it has gone to the roads, large land takes, rubber on hard surfaces beit fossil fuel supplied or battery or any other power, likewise fossil fuel exhausts add to the mix people inhale.
In response, BRTA calls to 'bring back our tracks and trains', but we also need more new railway pieces, duplicate relief lines and more funding directed to 'getting started' local rail infrastructure and capacity enhancements on existing rails, to give more of an alternative to road dependency and ensure fair pricing to give lifestyle choices. For example, those 18+ to retirement and under a certain income, say £25, 000 p.a. should be given a free bus-rail pass to offset transport costs and the cost of private car ownership or multiple car ownership per household. Congestion exacerbates pollution and high sided High Streets canyonise/trap pollution, intensifying what people have to engage with as they go about their business.
Locally to Bedford, we want:
1. Rail Links east of Bedford via St John's
2. A new-build route Bedford-Northampton Arm
3. A new station on the Bedford-Bletchley Railway for the Retail Park at Kempston
4. Redesign of Bedford Midland principal railway station with linking regular buses linking it with the town centre as part of over-all routes.
5. Stations north of Bedford at Oakley and Sharnbrook to give choice and reduce congestion down the A6 into Bedford and enable more capacity in urban cordons for things like parking using existing facilities.
We stand ready to meet with like-minds and work to bring these about. In your own areas, think of your wish list and how feasible it is. Join BRTA, offer to serve, build us up and we can nationwide aspire to do more. If you want positive news on rail restoration and new-builds, we need you to join and make that news, make that transition and be part of the answer to make re-railing happen. It has to be measured, disciplined and properly evaluated for feasibility. For example, we also need a level playing field whereby HS2 can say "here's the cheque, move please", other local conventional rail projects cannot/do not have that power. On the other hand, the Office for Road and Rail (ORR) needs reform to be more responsive and have a more flexible approach to level crossings, reducing cost and enabling more local rail reopening solutions to take place.
Likewise, blockages over a 10 year planning time frame can be massaged down with relocation packages, slight amendments, deviations or complete new-builds. Over time from the launch of Bedford-ECML/Sandy rail campaign in 1987, we were constantly told for 9 years 1. no demand (but would not invest in a study to find out) by power and 2. blockages exist, so cannot be done. Now we have a new route, wanting 60 houses demolished, let alone rural areas and many other problems making our calls look fairly modest by comparison. Elsewhere other examples exist - see: https://brtarail.com/our-campaigns/
BRTA advises people to email their local MP as power needs to hear of these concerns, issues and matters and be persuaded policy must change, government must switch and give real rail alternatives and that means wagon-load, Speedlink Mark 2 or just more by rail x whatever, so beit, that environmentally, is the way to go and the jobs, the skills and outcomes will be more positive than the status quo bloating NHS waiting lists, disabilities, costs and premature deaths or under-development.
Please liaise with us and let's make a difference.
Please email your local MP: https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons
No comments:
Post a Comment