Mustn't deny him his 15 minutes of fame.
15 minute cities
- Thread starter fillyboy
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Mustn't deny him his 15 minutes of fame.
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Im not sure thats right. Its like saying to a lone spectator in a football crowd that they are responsible for what that crowd does. You cant blame an individual for market forces, they can only be combatted with economic policy or fiscal intervention. The recent extension of pedestrianisation in the town near me has made things worse. As we move to towards more electric vehicles, local politicians have got to think of ways to attract more cars to town centres if they want more shoppers.
Blup
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I agree with the point that councils have generally kept traffic out of town centres, and generally failed to provide parking (access).
But it has to be recognised that the trend to buying everything online has made a lot of shops close. There are reasons for and against I know.
But as always it's never a single reason
You mean like they did in Amsterdam? Oh wait, here is it in the 1970s compare to now:
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I think this is the big problem, when I was a boy, and only in my 70's now, I could go anywhere I wanted by bus or train, I did not need to drive to work, or shop, or to go to local City (Chester) for a night out.
However my daughter went to work in Ellesmere Port some 18 miles, to get there she could use a single bus, but it stopped running before her return time, so to return to Mold she had to go vie Chester to Mold, this meant two buses, and every bus was run by a different firm so back in around 2000 it cost £78 per week to get to/from work. So she learnt to drive and got a car.
Once she had a car, then not worth using a bus, to move to public transport you need to be able to do all trips with public transport, once you have a car, one will use it. And of course you need a car which can do all trips, not just short ones to local shops, the biggest annual mileage on my car is when I go on holiday. Typically over 200 miles each way, so want a car which can do that trip, since only two charge points at hotel I use, that means an EV is out. At least until we get car transporter trains so we don't need to drive that far.
Wonder if the are EV charging points on car ferries now?
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I went on the bus the other day to a medical appointment and got chatting to a geezer in the queue. We both complained that that particular double decker bus service was 3 per hour in 1999 and has since reduced to 2 an hour and now it's only one an hour.
Plus, we had separate small buses running two circular "stop anywhere" routes which were really handy.
These stop anywhere buses have now stopped running and in their wisdom, GMPTE have revised the double decker routes by trying to include these circular routes into the double decker ones.
So the DD bus ends up going down narrow estate roads that really were not designed for them.
And this is where the story is leading: how the hell authorities expect people to abandon their cars (reliable door to door service when you need it) when public transport is not cheap, frequent and reliable is utterly beyond me.
Yet they are forcing through their "we hate cars" policy regardless.
Reminds me of the plan to promote EVs when the infrastructure to support them is just not there.
Totally effing hare-brained, the whole shebang.
Plus, we had separate small buses running two circular "stop anywhere" routes which were really handy.
These stop anywhere buses have now stopped running and in their wisdom, GMPTE have revised the double decker routes by trying to include these circular routes into the double decker ones.
So the DD bus ends up going down narrow estate roads that really were not designed for them.
And this is where the story is leading: how the hell authorities expect people to abandon their cars (reliable door to door service when you need it) when public transport is not cheap, frequent and reliable is utterly beyond me.
Yet they are forcing through their "we hate cars" policy regardless.
Reminds me of the plan to promote EVs when the infrastructure to support them is just not there.
Totally effing hare-brained, the whole shebang.
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Sorry Eric, we overlapped: must have had similar thoughts at the same time!
In Bristol they're trying to discourage cars/people/customers with Ulezzer zones, sky high parking charges, cameras to snag you if you stray and expensive, unreliable bus 'service'. Centre of town and main shopping area is run down and dying as a result.
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You have made some good points, when I lived just outside Mold, to shop in Chester some 12 miles away I would go by bus, it took me to the city centre, where with a car I needed to use park and ride, and as Chester is in England and Mold is in Wales, my bus pass works Mold to Chester, but not Chester Park and ride to city centre, so it took 50 minutes where by car it took 30 minutes (15 + 15) to car park then to city centre, so very little in it.
However here there is three buses a day, and trains only run in the Summer. I simply can't get to hospital and back by bus. I use the car to some street near the hospital and then bike to hospital as hospital in England and they charge for car parking. (Wales is free)
I looked at bus times, I can't get the Shrewsbury and back by public transport unless I stay over night, can't travel 29 miles by public transport, so once I can no longer drive, I will need to move house I suppose?
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I think these proposals need to be reset with post covid hybrid working. maybe the “positive” from lockdowns was people adapting to working from home.
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I took a taxi to a hospital appointment once when there was no-one available to take me, and it cost me 60 quid each way....
I feel this is something we should be fearing, especially as it seems to be incorporating limits on private transport and movement.
Seems like just another step towards to digital currency and social credit future predicted by many.
I'd welcome fewer cars on the roads, but for that to work there would have to be massive investment and improvement in local transport.
Seems like just another step towards to digital currency and social credit future predicted by many.
I'd welcome fewer cars on the roads, but for that to work there would have to be massive investment and improvement in local transport.
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I collapsed at work, of course they called an ambulance, after 20 minutes they called the doctor and some one took me to local doctors surgery, he in turn said I needed to go to hospital, clearly I could not drive, and ambulance clearly not an option so some one took me the 29 miles to hospital, and got charged £9 for parking at the hospital. It should be free in Wales, but no local Welsh hospital so had to go to England.
So cost around £20 to travel to/from hospital which it seems is not considered when they centralise hospitals.
So cost around £20 to travel to/from hospital which it seems is not considered when they centralise hospitals.
I use the bus or a train from time to time mainly due to trouble parking.. Bus to a local larger shopping centre. Train to B'ham city centre. The number of people on both is rather variable and I feel they could run less often. The idea seems to be reduce waiting time to encourage people to use them. Pretty sure this increases cost not that I care as have a pass for both. The rail one looks like it covers the west midlands but no, it covers B'ham and a guard has to be found to pay for excess outside that. 
So if I want to go there I drive.
Of late B'ham has been blocking roads with rather large plant pots forcing people onto the more major roads. Kings Heath has gone further and there actions are wrecking some businesses trade. There is a Lidl. There were 2 road accesses to it's car park. Now one via their main road which was always contested before this happened. Make a major shop and use the buses. No fill their car park instead as too much to carry by hand.
This 15min city idea? I wonder. Each area having a decent supermarket? Enough GP's etc. Banking may turn into a machine in a post office but more of those needed. Everybody goes internet banking. I wonder.Fine idea. Councils seem good at that but seem to ignore complications. They just don't want cars. Electric wont change some of the problems. Some talk of a 20mph speed limit. If only people could drive that fast at times but what about when they could do 30. More congestion. It's a B'ham problem. A number of old major highways in that have never been updated. They added an A38M but ok it gets to the M6 quickly if traffic is low but past that..................... The city underpass gets clogged at times so close it and force people on a rather poor ring road instead. Loads come in daily from various places to work. I have seen what has been done to London over many years to cope with that aspect. It's so effective no way would I live their and commute from a number of areas.
Maybe the answer to cities to knock the lot down and start again. Unlikely to happen.
I've noticed some new road builds in parts of the country. They smell of EU money. Motorway class but aren't motorways. Then I find widened sections - money saving. One thing that I have noticed businesses may spring up - housing later?
So if I want to go there I drive.Of late B'ham has been blocking roads with rather large plant pots forcing people onto the more major roads. Kings Heath has gone further and there actions are wrecking some businesses trade. There is a Lidl. There were 2 road accesses to it's car park. Now one via their main road which was always contested before this happened. Make a major shop and use the buses. No fill their car park instead as too much to carry by hand.
This 15min city idea? I wonder. Each area having a decent supermarket? Enough GP's etc. Banking may turn into a machine in a post office but more of those needed. Everybody goes internet banking. I wonder.Fine idea. Councils seem good at that but seem to ignore complications. They just don't want cars. Electric wont change some of the problems. Some talk of a 20mph speed limit. If only people could drive that fast at times but what about when they could do 30. More congestion. It's a B'ham problem. A number of old major highways in that have never been updated. They added an A38M but ok it gets to the M6 quickly if traffic is low but past that..................... The city underpass gets clogged at times so close it and force people on a rather poor ring road instead. Loads come in daily from various places to work. I have seen what has been done to London over many years to cope with that aspect. It's so effective no way would I live their and commute from a number of areas.
Maybe the answer to cities to knock the lot down and start again. Unlikely to happen.
I've noticed some new road builds in parts of the country. They smell of EU money. Motorway class but aren't motorways. Then I find widened sections - money saving. One thing that I have noticed businesses may spring up - housing later?
I think we'll see more and more of this 'zone' stuff as the years roll by, not just in larger cities/towns but smaller ones as well. It wouldn't surprise me, as has been talked about under this scheme, if we're then expected to pay or have a permit if we want to move into other zones.
If there is a god, I thank them that I'm here now and middle aged. I've lived my life to date going where I want, when I want, at a (safe) speed that I want, with no additional permits and/or charges to pay. And hopefully, given I'm not living in a large city/town, I can continue to do so for the next couple of decades, during which all this zone stuff hopefully won't permeate down to smaller places all that much.
Come that time, I'll be thinking about lessening my driving etc away.
I suppose each generation gets used to the society they're living in, and whatever laws/legislation are in place. e.g. young people in Oxford will just accept the zones as part of life, cause it's all they'll have known. However if you're older and live through various changes (not always for the better depending on your view) it can all become a bit frustrating.
The occasional conspiracy theorist in me does wonder if there's a longer term strategy to ensure the masses move around less, all under the umbrella of 'environmental benefits.'
If there is a god, I thank them that I'm here now and middle aged. I've lived my life to date going where I want, when I want, at a (safe) speed that I want, with no additional permits and/or charges to pay. And hopefully, given I'm not living in a large city/town, I can continue to do so for the next couple of decades, during which all this zone stuff hopefully won't permeate down to smaller places all that much.
Come that time, I'll be thinking about lessening my driving etc away.
I suppose each generation gets used to the society they're living in, and whatever laws/legislation are in place. e.g. young people in Oxford will just accept the zones as part of life, cause it's all they'll have known. However if you're older and live through various changes (not always for the better depending on your view) it can all become a bit frustrating.
The occasional conspiracy theorist in me does wonder if there's a longer term strategy to ensure the masses move around less, all under the umbrella of 'environmental benefits.'
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