Leeds trolleybus scheme delayed further

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Fri 13 Jul, 2012 9:23 pm

raveydavey wrote: And they pay people to come up with these 'plans'... Excatly yes, I've often wondered what constitutes a leader in this field, an expert, consultant, planner and advisor e.t.c. The mind boggles at times!!

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Fri 13 Jul, 2012 9:34 pm

Phill_dvsn wrote: raveydavey wrote: And they pay people to come up with these 'plans'... Excatly yes, I've often wondered what constitutes a leader in this field, an expert, consultant, planner and advisor e.t.c. The mind boggles at times!! All together now.....in tune......"There may be trouble ahead....." fanfare of trumpets,gradually fading,going out of tune........sigh !!!!!!

simong · Post by **simong** » Fri 13 Jul, 2012 10:02 pm

It's more likely that the shop and residential developers have lobbied for more parking space and they're the people who the council listen to most, either as lobbyists or as 'advisers',

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Sat 14 Jul, 2012 5:17 pm

Plans to electrify the Midland mainline from London-Sheffield have just been announcedhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18839483The 500 million pound scheme will see overhead lines being installed along the 165 mile route.Quite how Leeds T.Bus is costing 235 million pounds to install overhead wires between Holt Park and Stourton seems like a joke in comparison, how far is that? 10 miles as the crow flies perhaps?

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sat 14 Jul, 2012 5:57 pm

Phill_dvsn wrote: Plans to electrify the Midland mainline from London-Sheffield have just been announcedhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18839483The 500 million pound scheme will see overhead lines being installed along the 165 mile route.Quite how Leeds T.Bus is costing 235 million pounds to install overhead wires between Holt Park and Stourton seems like a joke in comparison, how far is that? 10 miles as the crow flies perhaps? It's simply ridiculous! And lets not forget that £235m for the OffYourTrolley bus to nowhere doesn't include the millions already frittered away by LCC / Metro on buying up land for the aborted NotSoSupertram that was going to use the same route - how can a scheme of 16x the distance cost only 2x as much?What I don't understand with the MML scheme is yet another missed opportunity - much like the ECML electrification with the gap in the wires betwixt Neville Hill and Colton Jct, there is going to be a "missing link" between Sheffield and Leeds - a route currently served by several MML trains everyday. I guess this means that Leeds will lose it's limited 'express' link to stations on the MML, meaning a slow train to Sheffield and change there - progress, eh?

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Sat 14 Jul, 2012 6:25 pm

It's even worse Ravey, I over guesstimated.It's only 8.7 miles long http://www.constructionenquirer.com/201 ... us-scheme/ And the cost has gone up to £250 million now Anyone want to buy a brick wrapped up in Christmas paper, cheap at half the price £99.99There's one born every minute

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sat 14 Jul, 2012 7:38 pm

A genuine, bona-fide, electrified monorail......Or (with apologies to Hans Christian Anderson)....A vain Council Leader who cares for nothing but gesture politics and grandoise schemes hires two mass transit consultants who are really swindlers that promise him the finest, new revolutionary mass transit system of a unique and special type that is clearly not fit for purpose to anyone who is unfit for his position or "just hopelessly stupid". The Council Leader wonders about the merits of the new mass transit system, being as it costs a Kings Ransom and only serves a car park miles from nowhere himself, but pretends that he can for fear of appearing unfit for his position; his fellow councillors and public officials all do the same. When the swindlers report that the mass transit system is finished, they board a shiny new trolley bus (which looks suspiciously like an ordinary bendy bus, but with wires above it) with the Council Leader and set off in procession along the route before his electorate, who play along with the pretense for fear of enraging his wrath and him imposing congestion charging on the city. Suddenly, a child in the crowd, too young to understand the desirability of keeping up the pretense, blurts out that the Council Leader is on board nothing more than an expensive electric bendy bus that only goes to a car park miles from anywhere and the cry is taken up by others. Soon everyone realises what has happened.The Council Leader cringes, suspecting the assertion is true, but holds himself up proudly and continues the journey. After all, he is the great Council Leader and is never wrong!After arriving in the car park miles from anywhere, the Council Leader realises that the young child was right and that he has spend £250 million on a glorified electric bus that only goes to a car park miles from anywhere. He vows never to be so vain again and take his position more seriously.Sadly no-one lives happily ever after as all the money for public transport improvements has been spent on the trolley bus and there is nothing left for anything else, so everyone continues to go to work in their cars...The End.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Sat 14 Jul, 2012 8:26 pm

raveydavey wrote: The End. Love it, and how very apt is your signature there Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act – George Orwell.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sat 14 Jul, 2012 10:43 pm

Phill_dvsn wrote: raveydavey wrote: The End. Love it, and how very apt is your signature there Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act – George Orwell. Glad you like it - has anyone thought of calling it the "folly bus" or can I claim that one? From the dictionary:Folly: Noun: Lack of good sense; foolishness: "an act of sheer folly".A foolish act, idea, or practice: "the follies of youth".Synonyms: foolishness - silliness - foolery - nonsense - madnessSeem to fit, doesn't it?

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Sat 14 Jul, 2012 10:50 pm

Ravey, I think we'd make a good double act.I'd like to see me and you on the commiteee, for every plus point they tried to pin on something, we could knock two off straight away