‘Electric bus is a puzzling solution to transport problems’
THE RECENT front page article in the Standard relating to a proposed new electric bus service from town centre to railway station leaves me (and so many others) puzzled.
There are several parts of the ‘Bromsgrove Electric Bus’ issue I simply can’t understand.
Both councillors featured in the article, leader and deputy leader, are well aware of the poor air quality in and around town.
There are three areas that fail EU levels of pollution resulting from vehicle congestion.
Stoke Road, Aston Fields, where the station is situated has had pollution levels checked in the congested section near to station entrance and found to be compliant.
Also, the station now receives the best ever frequency of bus service to the town centre and surrounding districts.
I have to question if BDC has £250K worth of council tax to improve transport services and air quality, it could investigate improving bus services serving Redditch Road, Worcester Road and the A38.
These are areas where bus services have been slashed and are often served by ancient polluting vehicles. Some of the buses still have steps to board.
Everyone agrees a switch to electric or hydrogen power for buses, cars, trains and bikes would really benefit air quality and the health of residents and travellers.
But Bromsgrove residents are entitled to expect our council tax funds to target areas of greatest need.
This appears to me to just another populist Tory idea blurted out prior to an election with little research or judgement.
Surprisingly, BDC suddenly seem have £250K available to fund what to many of us appear to be an unnecessary extra bus service from station to town. Recently Bromsgrove has lost something quite dear to many residents and visitors to our town.
Artrix was a unique facility that provided a diverse centre of all cultures for all ages.
Even a 5,000-signatures petition raised by residents pleading to save Artrix from closure was ignored by a mean-spirited council which refused to find the comparatively small amount (£30K) needed to keep Artrix alive.
BDC members need to rethink on what is really needed for our district.
Sean Shannon
Bromsgrove
‘On Demand service is not viable and ill-thought out’
I WRITE regarding the latest article on the proposed BDC single electric bus service being introduced in April.
I would respectfully wish to enquire as to whether the said proposal has been adequately thought through, to warrant the £250K price tag?
The suggested modus operandi described, does not add up to a viable proposition and I would suggest that it is likely to fail.
Bromsgrove Station is already covered by the existing 12 unidirectional bus route operations calling there.
The said request service will take business from those existing bus operations and it won’t do the taxi proprietors any favours either.
In terms of its potential in serving rail users across Bromsgrove district, we also have to realise that Bromsgrove has five railway stations within its borders – all with a direct Birmingham City Centre connection.
A number of the Bromsgrove wards, north of the M42, will likely target Longbridge as their station of choice.
Bromsgrove Station has an enviable town centre to railway station bus and taxi service, without the need for an inadequately thought-through, ill-timed, disruptor entering the existing transport mix and a tidy 250K out of our precious council tax coffers to boot.
Bromsgrove is not a city and how can a single vehicle serve a six trains per hour bi-directional rail service on an ad hoc request basis.
Incidentally, what happens to the service when the driver/s require a meal, comfort break or indeed when the vehicle is in for service?
A fleet of buses is the only viable operational answer and that viable fleet already exists.
Anthony Woodward
Bromsgrove
‘Worcestershire County Council needs to call a climate emergency’
THE APPEARANCE of Coun Miller’s face and his article promoting Worcestershire County Council’s environmental prowess (Standard, March 12) is a sure sign of the impending election.
So the council has suddenly become super-green by getting its energy from the right supplier and by signing an agreement to plant 150,000 trees (over the next five years) that its Net Zero
Carbon Plan admits (over the century) will lock up 0.8 per cent of its emissions, only 1.5 per cent of Worcestershire’s total.
Despite decades of warning from the scientific community and the evidence of run-away climate and environmental impacts before our very eyes, this county council still refuses to declare a climate and ecological emergency.
It needs to step up and show leadership to help us all in the 98.5 per cent to do what we really want to do – to sustain our communities and give our children and grand-children a future.
Yes, it has got to this point.
We need the council to make the arguments and show the imagination and wisdom to convince us to make the changes in our behaviour that we know need to happen.
And we must have actions to provide (with our money and support), for example – the infrastructure to safely make short local journeys on foot and by bike, to dramatically reduce pollution levels which at the moment are dangerous to human health in many places to facilitate the rewilding of our countryside and regeneration of wildlife… and many others.
Christopher Cooke
EDITOR’S COMMENT
IT IS ALL very well having housing targets and building hundreds of new homes but providers need to ensure their current stocks are up to scratch.
Situations we have heard about this week, including damp, draughty and mould-ridden conditions, have been shocking.
No-one should have to live in properties like that in Britain in 2021 – particularly when housing associations are shown to be making profit.
Associations and landlords providing unsafe and inhabitable homes need to be hit with fines.
We welcome your letters…..
What pressing issues do you feel need addressing in Bromsgrove and Droitwich? Send us your views to [email protected]
