Safe Speed Forums

Meanwhile we are all being told that we should travel on public transport. At the same time stations are closing etc etc on the grounds that certain routes are not economical - so how do we use a sercvice that doesen't exist.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0, ... 02,00.html


But the most damaging cuts are being planned for the five years from 2009, when a new budget will be set for the railways. The Department for Transport has begun secret negotations over which services, stations and little-used branch lines will be eliminated.

Don't have a link but someone did the sums a couple of years ago and if just 5% of car drivers in londons peak hours took public transport instead, public transport would be unable to cope with the numbers and go into meltdown, and i expect anyone who uses bus, train or tube in london would agree that thousands more passengers is simply not viable. Wheras the 5% car loss would make little difference to road traffic, so like it or not people using their cars are essentual to everyone getting everywhere... not quite the evil selfish demons that need pricing off the road the government would have you believe.

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Fear is a weapon of mass distraction

Do you know how much these "Community" railways cost us the tax payer to run?

We have a line at the back of my house the Windermere to Oxenholme line - about 12 miles long. It's existance here in the 21st Century is utterly pointless!


I don't mind people clinging to the nostalgic wish to ride on a train, but I object to paying for it!!
While the track is closed for maintainance, a coach service runs just as efficiently, and at much lower cost, on existing roads!
NO heavy freight can be brought to Windermere, and even the newspapers arrive by road now - it's quicker AND cheaper!

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Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

Bear in mind that if Network Rail were to close this it would almost certainly become a preserved railway, given the tourist potential of the area.

For lines of this kind I would have thought there could be a half-way house between Network Rail and preservation status, so that they were owned and maintained by a private trust, but trains from the general network could still use them.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

So, how does this idea sit with the people that want freaight taken off the roads and moved by rail, or haven't they thought of that one yet?

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Semper in excreta, nur quantitat variat.

I think it's nonsense. The fact that the railways currently are taking far more subsidy than they were before privatisation is all to do with the ludicrously complex structure of the industry and safety gold-plating.

If anything, we should be expanding our railways - but we need to get a grip on the costs.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Yet another bright idea - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article//0 ... 15637.html

Spend a fortune digging up old rail lines, turn them into a concrete bus road .

hahahahahahahahahahahahhaa what planet are these romanticists on? have they ever been on a train? i think most "people would prefer" a system thats frequent, clean, runs on time and they can get a seat.

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Fear is a weapon of mass distraction

That's called a car isn't it?

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

Amen. Also, it would be nice if a Cheltenham -> London return didn't cost £95.50 and take half an hour longer than driving. Mind you, I thought £95.50 was a lot until I spoke to a couple of our guys at the office who do Staines -> Manchester now and then; a ticket purchased on the day of travel, peak time, is £185!

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Carl Prescott

and just to put that into perspective, you can do this for about the same price.

Ah but our lot give better value with the excuses for the late arrivals

Wrong type of snow,wet leaves,

frozen points -

probably now got a whole bookload of good uns printed up

and just think how easy it would be if you could find someone to ask in a station or understand a rail announcer, specially trained to be mis understood all the time , except when announcing a change of platform with 90 seconds to spare.