Goodbye to trams

dillon · 14-03-2005, 13:02

Anyone seen the LET today?
Looks like £1million of taxpayers money has gone into paying for 'research' into bringing trams to East Lancashire, but now the plans are scrapped.
I'm all for trams. Preston have talked about bringing them back too, but here apparently the idea has been scrapped because the area has too many hills.
Was this not noticed years ago?
What do people think? Goodbye to a bad idea, or another good plan wrecked by bad planning?

Doug · 14-03-2005, 13:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by dillon

Anyone seen the LET today?
Looks like £1million of taxpayers money has gone into paying for 'research' into bringing trams to East Lancashire, but now the plans are scrapped.
I'm all for trams. Preston have talked about bringing them back too, but here apparently the idea has been scrapped because the area has too many hills.
Was this not noticed years ago?
What do people think? Goodbye to a bad idea, or another good plan wrecked by bad planning?

Makes you wonder doesn’t it. I think their where trams in Accrington from sometime around 1886 until a little after the First World War. Didn’t seem to be a problem then?

chav1 · 14-03-2005, 15:36

leaves are much tougher these days and 1 leaf on the track cuold cause mayhem

ask british rail lol

park381 · 14-03-2005, 17:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug

Makes you wonder doesn’t it. I think their where trams in Accrington from sometime around 1886 until a little after the First World War. Didn’t seem to be a problem then?

Remember the last tram from Blackburn centre, watched with my father.
On the tram tracks, I bet if you dig down far enough through all the layers of tarmac the old cobble sets and tram lines will still be there
Also remember getting my bike stuck in the dam tram lines, an finished up going over handlebars, my gran was coming out of a shop at the time, did I get a good B********

vorlon24 · 14-03-2005, 17:43

Why?

I would have thought she would have been concerned about your possible injuries - why would you get told off for coming off your bike?

park381 · 14-03-2005, 17:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by vorlon24

Why?

I would have thought she would have been concerned about your possible injuries - why would you get told off for coming off your bike?

You got it in one, there was a bus coming

Graham Jones · 14-03-2005, 18:20

Dave Higgerson [the LET journo on this storty] rang me this morning, 7.45, on my way out to work. Said could he use my comments he had found on AccyWeb last week about the ELP and the trams.

Quote:

East Lancs Partnership, i reserve comments on tax payers money being spent by them. The transit thingy has gone from a full on metro accompanied by front page headlines and glossy print to guided bus paths, to upgrading the current bus timetable. I kid not. It has proved to be pie in the sky.

At most transport meetings, including the new passengers group set up, ELP were absent to my knowledge.

This quote from the site was used. However I didn't say it would be better spent on buses and roads [as quoted], someone else must have said that.

I didn't know last week that BwD and LCC were pulling the plug but it was obvious way back that this scheme was going nowhere fast, as much as I would like to see trams return. They have been pouring public money into a black hole for 4 years on this. Nick Briggs, where are you???!!!

Someone should resign over this. On Thurs and Fri I did some enquiries and it transpires that our man [HBC's] in ELP was Peter Clarke [Conservatove Cabinet Member accompanied by the smiling assasin Nigel Rix]. WORSE STILL! Since when Hyndburn First desolved no-one has been at all apparently.

ELP run the Regional Park [Panopticons] and Rapid Transit initiatives. When I slag off the conservatives for being useless, this is exactly a case a point.
They are supposed to represent the people of Hyndburn. A retired Blackpool donkey would do better.

Why has both the Panopticon and RTS been allowed to drag on into a deep dungus mire at huge public expense and then how hypocritical is it of Obengrupfuhurer Britcliffe to blast off that its everyone else fault. Its his Cabinet member is supposed to be representing us and getting best value.

Margaret Pilkington · 14-03-2005, 20:28

It is too hilly for trams eh????? How do they manage in San Francisco? And Graham you got it wrong there......a DEAD Blackpool donkey would do better!

dillon · 14-03-2005, 20:54

I had the same thought about San Francisco. Apparently (according to a friend who has been there) only one tram runs up and down one hill, pulled by a pulley system under the ground! The rest run in a circle around the hills, powered by electricity.
You live and learn on Accy web, don't you!!

West Ender · 14-03-2005, 20:57

I remember the trams that ran from Blackburn to Church Commercial. When they got to the Church terminus the driver had to get out to turn the pantograph round and the condutor flipped all the seat-backs the other way. Some of the trams had open top decks. I loved them.

The road in West End was paved with, sort of, flat cobbles and the more house-proud ladies used to polish the bit of tram lines that ran past their houses. These were the same ladies who would scrub drain pipes and gutter covers with black lead. Not my mum, she had better things to do.

Here, we have had proposals to extend the Manchester-Altrincham tramway to Warrington, on the path of the extinct railway. I would welcome it but the idea seems to have died the death, just like yours.

Bazf · 15-03-2005, 03:41

http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/home.html
http://www.lightrailnow.org/news/n_tam001.htm
http://www.heritagetrolley.org/existTampaPress4.htm
We are paying for some idiot who thought this was a good idea,they need about 3 times the rider amount then what they get and we are paying taxs on a white elephant. Accy you will do well to stay away from Trams the only people who make money are the expert advisors.

WillowTheWhisp · 15-03-2005, 08:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by West Ender

When they got to the Church terminus the driver had to get out to turn the pantograph round and the condutor flipped all the seat-backs the other way.

Can you just imagine it? :-

The junction at the bottom of Market Street
A new junction incorporating a tram turntable, traffic lights all on red whilst the tram driver gets out and turns his vehicle round, then goes upstairs to flip over the seats before flipping the downstairs ones (can't afford to employ conductors these days Mrs, one man trams only.) Makes the current junction seem positively efficient doesn't it?

park381 · 15-03-2005, 08:23

From the same article in last nights LET
But today, Coun Andy Kay, in charge of regeneration at Blackburn

Quote:

"We are going to work with LCC to draw up schemes and submit a bid for Government money next year, probably for bus lanes to speed up public transport."

They going to widen the roads first

WillowTheWhisp · 15-03-2005, 08:37

Good point Park. It will be interesting to see how they manage that on Blackburn Rd at West End where cars already have to drive over the red "island".

park381 · 15-03-2005, 08:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

Good point Park. It will be interesting to see how they manage that on Blackburn Rd at West End where cars already have to drive over the red "island".

Just done a "Google" - bus lanes, throws up some interesting links, note the dates
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3571820.stm
http://www.abd.org.uk/pr/348.htm
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0...name_page.html
http://www.scotiaweb.co.uk/transport/buslanes.html
Think the best one is Liverpool

mind the bbc one comes a close second