Use the best of each means of transport
In a letter “It’s time to park this carcentric thinking” (21st October), Adam Reynolds suggested that I only support the use of 20th century cars and lorries.
Far from it, I have spent my working life in railways, tunnelling and “multi-modal” transport and have always supported the integration of various forms of transport, each mode doing what it does best.
For example, the Chronicle report “Talks on future HGV ban on (Cleveland) Bridge” (14th October) noted that cabinet member for transport Cllr Manda Rigby wanted us to “press for more freight to go by rail”.
In 1991 the House of Commons Transport Committee undertook an inquiry to examine how ready was Britain’s railway network for the opening of the Channel Tunnel and integration with that of the rest of Europe?
I submitted a memorandum of evidence to the committee looking at three different ways in which our railway was not ready.
One concerned the feasibility of moving the semi-trailers of HGVS on low-decked rail wagons, multimodal transport, between points anywhere in France or Germany and anywhere in Britain, not just Calais to Folkestone as has been available on the “lorry shuttles” through the Tunnel since 1994.
Working with a director of Eurotunnel and a transport economist, we drew together a consortium of freight transport companies and local authorities along a route between Kent and Glasgow, called “the Piggyback Consortium”.
We made studies of all of the railway bridges and tunnels between the Channel Tunnel and Glasgow; outlined the civil engineering work required at each with cost estimates that Railtrack later endorsed; brought over a large US rail wagon builder who was already making wagons of roughly the right specification, to build the new type of
wagons; and prepared
an analysis of the economics and commercial viability of such services.
The project went steadily forward over 12 years including the design, construction and operation of a train of prototype wagons.
Then a passenger train operator vetoed our freight trains from using a particular length of railway in Kent because they “might” get in the way of his passenger trains.
By that time leaders of the railway freight companies were also less keen to make a direct commercial assault on the road freight market, so the project came to an end.
Oddly, that passenger train operator was proved right. For all railfreight transport, the sad fact has been that the tremendous growth in rail passenger numbers over the last 30 years has meant that it has been difficult to find space in the “working timetable” to introduce additional freight trains on many lines.
Nevertheless, a lifetime in railway engineering has taught me to believe that this fundamentally 19th century technology has a lot to offer us now in the 21st, whether frequent Metrowest train services, new light rail lines or trams for the Bristol region.
Growing up in inner city Liverpool in the early 1950s we could not afford bikes so I never learned to ride one, but I did enjoy riding Liverpool’s trams.
On two other points raised, I have not yet met a passenger train operator who would take a commercial risk on a new Corsham Station. They all say “it would get in the way of passenger trains!” – to explain why would take too many column inches!
On the Bathampton Toll Bridge road as an east of Bath bypass, parents and the children who walk them to Bathampton Primary School and back on lengths of road without adequate pavements
should be asked for their opinion!
I have always advocated “integrated” or “multi-modal” transport, using the best qualities of each mode. My friend the Eurotunnel director seems to have been among the first to routinely take his folding bike on the train to Paddington then cycle across to the House of Lords.
“Piggyback” involves lifting 36 tonne semi-trailers onto a freight train for a long journey then reassembling them as articulated lorries for the final few miles. P&R is about visitors parking their cars outside a city then taking a bus (or train, or tram) ride into the centre. Dorian RW Baker
Bath
one to wear face coverings in confined public spaces (shops, restaurants, bars etc) as much as possible to help control infection rates and to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed.
Face coverings not only protect the wearer but also those around the wearer and it’s therefore also crucial that masks are worn correctly and are well fitting.
This means the mask must cover the nose as well as the mouth and should be fitted as tightly as possible around the nose and over the cheeks.
As an optometrist we constantly hear our patients complaining their spectacles keep fogging up which is not only annoying but also worrying as it means that the mask is not fitting well allowing exhaled droplets to escape, some of which condense on the lenses whilst the majority are released into the air spreading the droplets and virus.
Incidentally this probably means
that many of the cloth masks are not much use as few of them have a metal insert to provide the necessary confining pinch around the nose and cheeks.
Mike Killpartrick
Ellis & Killpartrick, Bath
The wearing of face-masks – a proven precaution against transmission of acute respiratory diseases – has become a political rather than a hygienic decision.
It has been reassuring that the World Health Organization’s Special Envoy for Covid-19, Dr David Nabarro, has directly told Boris Johnson and Tory MP’S that he finds it “absolutely weird” for the UK to assume someone’s political sympathies from their choice to wear or not to wear a face mask.
We remember uneasily that in the United States, individual Republican governors have positively mandated against the use of face masks – often with fatal consequences.
In the British Parliament the Government benches are largely unmasked, in contrast to the Opposition. The Leader of the House openly discourages mask-wearing, as not “convivial”. Yet Members of Parliament have not proved immune to Coronavirus .
“Face masks and social distancing are critical to keeping Covid at bay”, Dr Nabarro told the Prime Minister.
At the same time he hopes these measures need be legally enforced as that could “provoke counter behaviour”. Which is to say that “There’s no accounting for folk”. David Robinson
By email
Councillor Kevin Guy is asking the Government for more powers to tackle the rising infection rates.
Perhaps he could let us know what powers he is seeking and how he would enforce them.
I am sure many readers would also be interested to know how many BANES employees are still “working” from home.
Adrian Jones Farmborough