Monorail!

SteveJonesLegend said:
I'm not sure about Navitus Bay... I was for it as I want the Govt to 'just commit' to a greener way... whatever they chose to do... I'd be interested in learning why you thought it was the wrong scheme at the wrong time... Purely based on curiosity and not being argumentative... :)
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Well, personally I thought it would cause too much disruption to the natural habitat and wildlife, sea bed etc, not just the massive farm but bringing everything to land and then demolishing large swathes of the new forest for the power station etc.

It’s location was more political dotting schemes all around the country rather than thinking which schemes would be more successful in different areas.
 
DJ said:
Well, personally I thought it would cause too much disruption to the natural habitat and wildlife, sea bed etc, not just the massive farm but bringing everything to land and then demolishing large swathes of the new forest for the power station etc.

It’s location was more political dotting schemes all around the country rather than thinking which schemes would be more successful in different areas.
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I don't know the finer details and maybe that is where my argument falls down... We live on a small island with a huge population so there are very few countries in a similar position that we can model and follow suit... I hate it when folk compare us to Scandinavian countries, saying if they can do this why can't we.... Population numbers are a huge influence in what can and cannot be done effectively...

I wasn't aware about the power station in the New Forest, but for me, if developing an effective form of alternative energy, meant a percentage of the NF being taken up, then for me, it seems like some compromises and sacrifices need to be made to ensure that happens... but the alternative energy needs to justify the sacrifices...

Personally I'd love to see us really throw some money behind harnessing tidal energy... I know it would need a lot of money, but we're spending ridiculous amounts on HS2 which by the time it's complete, will be like using a ZX Spectrum today...
 
SteveJonesLegend said:
People need to expect some inconvenience to become more green... I'd love to see more car free areas in the conurbation...

F*ck it... Make everyone visiting the town park and ride... Leave the town roads for residents only, screened by the new budget busting cameras all over the place that can now track number plates and movement through the whole area...

Yep, folk will moan at the eyesore car parks needed to house the thousands of cars parked up, but there you go... Just like the block on Navitus bay... Folk need to learn that life needs to change in order for life to continue... We cant all look out to idilc seas and picture postcard forests etc. forever... We need to learn to be more green and put up with whatever measures are needed to make that happen...
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Goodbye to the tourist industry then
 
SteveJonesLegend said:
I don't know the finer details and maybe that is where my argument falls down...
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There was lots of intricacies regarding the project's viability, subsidies required etc, whereas other projects around the country made more sense.

Obviously it was binned off in the end due to its location, but there were many other factors that didn't grab headlines.

Tidal energy is an interesting one, but again a project say in the Bristol Channel is likely to be more successful then on the often mill pond of Poole Bay.

Just like a solar farm is going to be more successful in the south than up north...but you don't see the joined up thinking for a full national network, just which companies want to chase which schemes for their profit.
 
one current scheme that I find unbelievable is this thing in west dorset where they are wasting fook knows how much time, money, & wildlife hiding overground power cables underground. shocking ;)
 
I looked at the title of this thread without my glasses on, and initially thought we'd signed an Italian centre forward.
 
chetnik said:
thats a fair point, but having moved back to the area, I never use a car for anything. Maybe my attitude is developed from being in London and spoilt there. I just see a lot of evidently 'large' people using their cars for the smallest journies. We have to encourage people to cycle, walk and provide decent public transport at the same time as pricing people off the roads. The cost of motoring is way too cheap.
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My son had a car in London and what with congestion charges, less free parking in roads and more permit parking brought in, he sold his car.

But people down here don’t have the ways to get about like in London, with trains, tubes, the clipper on the river and Uber which are/were cheaper than taxis.

Buses in rural areas are if there are any, few and far between, so not convenient.

Then as you first mentioned ‘large’ people using cars for the shortest journey, even using the car to the local shop instead of walking.

The main shop, if in supermarket load up trolley, wheel trolley to car, unload trolley into car, take trolley back to trolley park and get in car and drive home.

Imagine having to take all that shopping onto public transport which doesn’t drop you at your door.

Taxis are not cheap down here and so far there is no Uber.
 
billythekid said:
My son had a car in London and what with congestion charges, less free parking in roads and more permit parking brought in, he sold his car.

But people down here don’t have the ways to get about like in London, with trains, tubes, the clipper on the river and Uber which are/were cheaper than taxis.

Buses in rural areas are if there are any, few and far between, so not convenient.

Then as you first mentioned ‘large’ people using cars for the shortest journey, even using the car to the local shop instead of walking.

The main shop, if in supermarket load up trolley, wheel trolley to car, unload trolley into car, take trolley back to trolley park and get in car and drive home.

Imagine having to take all that shopping onto public transport which doesn’t drop you at your door.

Taxis are not cheap down here and so far there is no Uber.
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You are describing a somewhat catch 22 situation. Because so few people are unwilling or unable to give up their cars there is no case for putting in the infrastructure, however with appropriate infrastructure then more people would.

It's weird how illogical we can all be at times. To give an analogy, most people that have a lawn own a lawn mower, but for most of the time it's sat idle and taking up space in a shed. Why by now there isn't a lawn mower club where you pay a very small fee to have a share in one that is stored and shared is beyond me. It's the equivalent of the Beryl bike. There will be lots of barriers, but people would solve those. Given we use these less frequently than our cars and we can't change our behaviours, then tells me that to get people to stop owning cars and switching is hard work.

On my example previously though if a traffic free development had a car club model, then maybe rather than be a downside, adding some flash cars into the fleet makes it an attractive place to live.
 
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ChampagneCherry said:
You are describing a somewhat catch 22 situation. Because so few people are unwilling or unable to give up their cars there is no case for putting in the infrastructure, however with appropriate infrastructure then more people would.

It's weird how illogical we can all be at times. To give an analogy, most people that have a lawn own a lawn mower, but for most of the time it's sat idle and taking up space in a shed. Why by now there isn't a lawn mower club where you pay a very small fee to have a share in one that is stored and shared is beyond me. It's the equivalent of the Beryl bike. There will be lots of barriers, but people would solve those. Given we use sinless frequently than our cars and we can't change our behaviours, then tells me that get people to stop owning cars and switching is hard work.

On my example previously though if a traffic free development had a car club model, then maybe rather than be a downside, adding some flash cars into the fleet makes it an attractive place to live.
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This reminds me. A few years back at a General Election, the conservative candidate pledged to "do something to improve public transport in the constituency" - he also pledged to "make sure the Sandford Bypass gets built"

Surely, you don't improve public transport by building new roads?
 
The virus has shown people can change habits when they have to. The one habit many have is a trip to the supermarket in their car for their ‘main shop’.

But is the main shop really necessary? Can we not just use smaller, local shops little and often? Even better use independent shops if they still exist. I don’t live in the area so not sure how many people work from home but this should be encouraged as much as possible despite what the government is saying.

I agree there’s no easy fix here. Ironically shopping little and often is the wrong idea during the pandemic. How do you fund public transport investment while pushing for home working and therefore reducing your ridership?

We do need to think seriously about this. Climate change is a bigger threat than Covid. Even if you are a ‘denier’ surely you will admit the clean air in our big cities during early lockdown was beneficial for people’s health.
 
punkrockcherry said:
This reminds me. A few years back at a General Election, the conservative candidate pledged to "do something to improve public transport in the constituency" - he also pledged to "make sure the Sandford Bypass gets built"

Surely, you don't improve public transport by building new roads?
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We get what vote we for and they rely on us voting for a such mixed bag of sweets and poisons that nobody ever knows what anybody really wants.

When we do have a single issue item that leads to a referendum and we then finish up as divided as a works team agreeing which restaurant to go to on a night out - no one's happy because the aim in the end was avoid anyone be unhappy.
 
Tinpot Club said:
The virus has shown people can change habits when they have to. The one habit many have is a trip to the supermarket in their car for their ‘main shop’.

But is the main shop really necessary? Can we not just use smaller, local shops little and often? Even better use independent shops if they still exist. I don’t live in the area so not sure how many people work from home but this should be encouraged as much as possible despite what the government is saying.

I agree there’s no easy fix here. Ironically shopping little and often is the wrong idea during the pandemic. How do you fund public transport investment while pushing for home working and therefore reducing your ridership?

We do need to think seriously about this. Climate change is a bigger threat than Covid. Even if you are a ‘denier’ surely you will admit the clean air in our big cities during early lockdown was beneficial for people’s health.
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My great nan had one of those trolleys she wheeled everywhere, well into her 90's, she got all her shopping in there and the walk did her good. Needing a car for the main shop is a 'choice, in that we not nature have created things that make it hard to operate any other way.
Time to create the Beryl shopping cart, that you can take all the way home and return to the end of your street, powered upgrades also available, etc
 
Cost is a factor with shopping. Tesco Express for many the local shop is more expensive than a large Tesco and with less choice. The people in rural areas often have no choice other than to drive. I live near to Castlepoint so walk to shop but I notice lots more supermarket delivery vans about even close to Castlepoint so things are changing.
 
Tinpot Club said:
The virus has shown people can change habits when they have to. The one habit many have is a trip to the supermarket in their car for their ‘main shop’.

But is the main shop really necessary? Can we not just use smaller, local shops little and often? Even better use independent shops if they still exist. I don’t live in the area so not sure how many people work from home but this should be encouraged as much as possible despite what the government is saying.

I agree there’s no easy fix here. Ironically shopping little and often is the wrong idea during the pandemic. How do you fund public transport investment while pushing for home working and therefore reducing your ridership?

We do need to think seriously about this. Climate change is a bigger threat than Covid. Even if you are a ‘denier’ surely you will admit the clean air in our big cities during early lockdown was beneficial for people’s health.
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Pre Covid the routine was 2-3 or so small shops each week near home, perhaps during my commute. Usually on foot and carried home, but a couple of bags on the bus is also fine. That pretty much covered all the needs. We've seen the rise in tesco, sainsburys locals in recent 10-20 or so years.

Since covid, we're all understandably minimising our trips to the shop. For a while that was even government mandated. The routine now is 1 weekly family shop, at the big supermarket, as if it was the 90s again. And there's no way on earth I am doing that without a car! A weeks worth of shopping for a family to carry home or fit onto a bus? It's not happening.

We'll have to see if and when covid passes.
 
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We have been using home shopping and will continue to do so in present circumstances.

Seen more home shopping deliveries in our area than ever before and more companies coming on board to it, the latest being Ocado & M & S.

Amazon are also spreading the home delivery food shopping as well.

Pity we can’t get home shopping from Aldi and Lid.
 
punkrockcherry said:
This reminds me. A few years back at a General Election, the conservative candidate pledged to "do something to improve public transport in the constituency" - he also pledged to "make sure the Sandford Bypass gets built"

Surely, you don't improve public transport by building new roads?
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Could that have been the well-known user of public transport, Richard Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax?
 
wellsworld said:
I try and make that point by crashing thru his wall every time I drive past. Costs me a fortune in cars, but its just about worth it.
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I wondered who it was that knocks holes in that wall, as it seems there is one lot of damage every time we drive past it.
 
ChampagneCherry said:
My great nan had one of those trolleys she wheeled everywhere, well into her 90's, she got all her shopping in there and the walk did her good. Needing a car for the main shop is a 'choice, in that we not nature have created things that make it hard to operate any other way.
Time to create the Beryl shopping cart, that you can take all the way home and return to the end of your street, powered upgrades also available, etc
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Get inventing, that’s a v good idea !
 
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