Letters - Monday, February 24, 2020

Track will be more hassle than it’s worth
Tramway extensionTramway extension
Tramway extension

The idea of extending the promenade tramway along Talbot Road... was it worth it?

Unfortunately I fear motorists are going to get very confused with turning left on to the tram tracks at Talbot Road whilst heading south along the promenade. There are currently red and white safety barriers in place preventing this from occurring. When the trams eventually start running, which could be at some point next year (?), operationally the barriers will have to be removed. What happens then? The road signage at the traffic lights currently gives the impression you can turn left outside The Counting House pub.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

As motorists are unable to turn left from the promenade on to Queen Street, sat navs are going to wrongly direct those who are not familiar with the complex road layout into the path of oncoming trams returning back down Talbot Road heading towards the promenade.

Who undertook the investment and viability case study for operating this tram extension? Some of these highly paid consultants have text book style theories but lack practical common sense. The best free advice on this controversial matter is that from a local taxi driver. They know the score.

Blackpool North is not like Manchester Piccadilly which is a busy year round commuter destination. There is simply not the annual passenger footfall to justify the outlay of £22.8m (or more). Then there are additional operating costs of actually running the trams along Talbot Road on a year-round basis from say 6am to approximately midnight .

Blackpool has a successful, profitable and unique promenade passenger tram service. Why risk messing about with it? It offers a modern light rail system running alongside its rich heritage fleet.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In terms of achieving year round economic development, prosperity and progress, priority should be made for creating a purpose-built town centre bus station. Connecting neighbouring boroughs from around the Fylde coast and beyond.

Who is going to use this tram extension? I doubt a family with suitcases, prams etc will want to try and guess a tram to their hotel when they can have the comfort and convenience of using a taxi to right to their door. Let’s be honest , will visiting conference delegates or corporate professionals use the tram extension ? Or will they as a group use a taxi to legitimately claim as part of their business expenses?

I’m a big supporter of public transport investment but feel this tram extension is the wrong move. The practical reality is that it will prove more hassle than what it is worth. Blackpool Transport Services could actually see passenger footfall numbers reduce especially during the winter months as some regular passengers will not be impressed with the delays in their promenade journey due to the diversion of having to travel up and back down Talbot Road.

Stephen Pierre

Campaign for bus station

PROTEST

Group should dig up police chief’s lawn...

Extinction Rebellion desecrated the lawn fronting Trinity College, Cambridge, while local police looked on, doing nothing. Chances are, if I dug up the Chief Constable’s front lawn, my next six months would be spent in a small room with barred windows.

Peter Rickaby

via email

POLITICS

We don’t need

so many peers

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With regards to the proposed increase in daily allowance for peers from £300 to £323 - who are the 800-plus unelected members of the House of Lords accountable to? The proposed increase was brought to the attention of Boris Johnson at Prime Minister’s Questions and his reply was to leave it up to them!

If this increase is voted through, then two days’ attendance at the House of Lords is equal to a month’s pension for a single person.

How can this be right?

If the Prime Minister’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings wants to take on a really tough challenge then he should put in place reforms to either abolish the House of Lords, saving the British taxpayer £83m, or reduce its size by at least half. Why does the Government need over 150 more peers than MPs to scrutinise their work?

Dave Ellis via email

POLITICS

Disdain for

the electorate

Having followed the Labour leadership and deputy leadership with close interest, one thing is apparent – the candidates’ (most of them) almost complete disdain for the electorate at large, especially the former lifelong Labour voters who turned their backs on them. Their message to their party members is that the policies were right but were just badly presented (and misrepresented by the media).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They also attribute blame to personal attacks on Jeremy Corbyn but, reflecting on the election campaign and subsequently, it is arguable that Boris and Conservatives in general were on the receiving end of far worse abuse.

At the General Election last December and after five years of a Corbyn/Socialist opposition, the simple fact is that, whatever the views of members, the electorate at large emphatically rejected both.

Neil Cartwright

via email

BREXIT

Charge European Union for defence

As the EU adds our fish, the Elgin Marbles and Gibraltar to their demands for a one-sided free trade deal as well as several billion pounds, perhaps we should add compensation for subsidising their defence for decades and for freeing Europe in the sar to ours? Compensation for loss of life as well as treasure.

Keith Punshon

address supplied

BREXIT

Vote will backfire

I’m massively against Brexit but I can’t wait for all the UK unemployed to be forced into jobs they won’t do for wages they refuse, as a result of their decision to vote to leave the EU. What a way a vote can backfire.

Robert Allan Jones

via email