kernow

In the late nineteen century Britain had a very successful transport system, a balanced mix of train for long haul of freight from the ports, to and fro the towns and cities, freight and people were then delivered by short haul horse drawn delivery from the train terminals to the surround. A 21st century version of the 19th century model would I think solve our present day road congestion. replace the "Horse Drawn" with delivery lorries and buses and restrict private car usage to within a short radius of your home, perhaps 10 miles "as the crow flies. I often travel up to the Hereford area by car, under my system that would not be allowed, I'd have to catch the train and then a bus from the train terminal, I wouldn't mind that, anything is preferable to bombing up and down the M5 with hordes of other motorists risking life and limb every yard of the way! Where suitable, train lines could be laid on present motorways.

mkpdavies

The problem with the transport system in Britain now, is it can't cope with demand.

Until technology helps out, the only way to get around that, is reduce demand.

Therefore, increasing Britains population by allowing unlimmited EU immigration is making the problem worse, much worse.

The solution of stoping poor people from driving just shifts the problems elsewhere. The real solution is to return to having a stable population again.

__________________
http://brits4ronpaul.blogspot.com/
http://wokinglibertarians.blogspot.com/
http://lpuk.org

My ignore list

Labour, Blue Labour, Lib Dems

cookie65

Why?

I spend £2500 per year on my car which does around 5000 miles per annum, which is 50p per mile. does my 'carbon footprint' cost more than this. The British government has for the last 40 years stolen money from motorists, spending 10% of motoring taxes on Roads whilst subsidising rail travel.
A better option would be tarmacing all railway tracks.

Rail freight does not work and never will.

A lorry can travel from Felixstowe/Southampton to Manchester in 4.5 hours, a train takes 7.5 hours, WITHOUT the loading/and inevitable delays that are inherent in anything to do with Railways
Roads and Motorways are the future, Turn all Bus lanes and Bus stations into Car parks, and see how much congestion you have.
The reason Labour have pushed public transport is the unions(NUR,etc) and all other parties have followed.
Kernow please do not be conned by communist propaganda, Sending empty trains up empty tracks at 15 litres to the mile on Billions of pounds worth of Railway tracks is not 'Green or economically efficient'

Nope, sorry the demand has not suddenly materialized, it has been there for the last fifty years, and has already been paid for many times over. there are 800 times more miles of railway track than Motorways, and they carry less than 00.05% of travel.
Technology will never affect the basic logic of common sense

mkpdavies

You haven't noticed the amount of cars on the roads increasing year on year? Of course it didn't happen over night, but
demand most certainly has materialised in a big way. 1st by it becoming normal to have a car, then the Mrs also having a car, then the kids too. Add to that the rapidly increasing population and you have even more demand.

Paying for parking, congestion charges, traffic jams, toll roads, pay per charge are all symptoms of this.

Even if you shifted all possible goods to rail or other methods, you will still have major problems with transport of people and transport of goods will always need some road travel, to get it to stores, homes etc.

Technology with give you better ways to cope with demand, maybe even one day by many multiples of todays capcity, but the reality now is Britain can no longer cope with the exponential demand for products.

Common sense is that you stop producing so much demand, until you have methods in place to cope with it. There are good reasons trains are not used as much as the could and until it becomes easy, convienient and economical to shift lots of transport to rail, companies won't.

I'd rather we didn't wait until the road networks collapse before that becomes a reality thanks.

__________________
http://brits4ronpaul.blogspot.com/
http://wokinglibertarians.blogspot.com/
http://lpuk.org

My ignore list

Labour, Blue Labour, Lib Dems

kernow

[quote="cookie65"][A better option would be tarmacing all railway tracks.
Roads and Motorways are the future, Turn all Bus lanes and Bus stations into Car parks, and see how much congestion you have.

What happens to the people who can't for whatever reason drive a car?

Kernow please do not be conned by communist propaganda, Sending empty trains up empty tracks at 15 litres to the mile on Billions of pounds worth of Railway tracks is not 'Green or economically efficient'
/quote]
I wasn't talking about being green, I was talking about road congestion. As for empty trains, if that was the only option for long haul travel, then carriages wouldn't be empty!

cookie65, I can assure you I'm not being "conned" by communist propaganda, the idea's put forward by me are mine! I am not worried about your carbon imprint or anyone Else's come to that. I am just sick to death with gridlock traffic (mainly cars) on our roads. My son missed his bus to College last week and it took me an hour to drive him there, a distance of 10 miles! that is the same time as horse drawn coach travel in 1830 and I don't live in London, I live in South Devon!

cookie65

Matt, read what i said!

Public transport is a no-no.

Forget trains.

Every person should have a car.

If there is no room for every body to have a car, find room by turning train station into car parks, and make railway tracks into motorways.

How can technology shrink vehicles or people, they still take up the same amount of space?. It would help the environment if we could shrink people as we do with JPEGS, it is not likely to happen in my universe, perhaps it could in yours?

John Carter

I'm sorry but what?

You know what you can do with that bit of your idea, don't you? :P

John Carter

Here's your real solution:

1) Less immigration. We're full.

2) Make the driving test much, much harder. And make everyone re-sit it every 10 years. This will also have the added advantage of making the roads safer.

Robin

Some of my ideas.

Make living in cities and towns bearable, enjoyable even. If people live happily in dense areas,with loads of facilities, they wouldn`t need to use a car so much.
Crime has to be tackled strongly, and large spacious flats should be encouraged for those that dont mind living in them.Not these rabbit hutches being built now.Alll flats should be on the lowest council band tax.

Local shops, pubs,other ammenities should pay much lower rates so they can stay in business, so that people again dont need to travel far for items such as bread,going to the cinema, meeting in a pub.

A better attitude to business. Instead of closing down a factory that has been there since Victorian times, because a new housing estate has been built near, see it as part of the town, giving employment to people who can walk or cycle to there. Cities should be a mix, not dormitory places.

Build underground lines wherever you can, and light railways to across the towns and out to some of the villages.

Rail to be for passengers ,flexible because it works 24 hours a day,seven days a week (reduced services in quiet periods yas, but not no services)
It should be the natural form of choice for moving from one city to the other.
Basically I think we can reduce car usage,not eliminate it.

Charge foreign trucks for the use of our roads

Stop immigration.We are overcrowded.

cookie65

Why

All this talk about traffic is a red Herring. Traffic pays its way, traffic keeps the economy going, traffic allows people to keep in touch and gives people freedom.

The only problem is congestion.

This is not my problem. I and you have paid for new roads many times over. Green taxes and road charging are just an excuse for government to cover up the theft of our motoring taxes.
Stop blaming immigration, old/ hesitant drivers, slow HGVs and volume of traffic.
The government should deliver what they have already been paid for many times over. it is breach of contract. Our pollution figures would be much lower if we did not have jams every where. pollution is not my fault blame government.
Let them get door to door Taxis, more convenient, comfortable and environmentally sensible. use the massive subsidies to a 19th century stagecoach system to pay for fast clean transport for people who need it. Who ever came up with the idea that people who are disabled or old need the buses, should be shot