This story on the BBC website reveals that the prats in charge of Nottingham want a Phase 3 tram line to stretch out to Kimberley. And they now have government backing.
Hope and pray that Labour gets back in at the next election. For all our sakes.
Many years ago not far from me there were plans to build a dirt bike track on flood plain land. Residents were against it on the grounds of noise and the unsavoury types it would attract, and they formed a group to oppose it at the council’s subsequent public meeting. However, it became clear that the “chairman” of this informal group had political ambitions, and he effectively hijacked the group in order to further his own interests. The problem was that he was an idiot – well, maybe it wasn’t that much of a problem for him (he got into local government, as I remember), since being an idiot is high on the list or prerequisites for aspiring politicians, but it certainly screwed up the residents’ action group. Since then, though, I’ve noticed that all “action groups” have someone like this.
So it comes as no surprise to hear Andy Cooper – chairman of the Kimberley Eastwood and Nuthall Tram Action Group (a pro-tram sect) – say the following:
…there are quite a few areas in Nottingham hoping for the next phase of the tram…
…This area is crying out for regeneration – it’s a neglected area…
…Not only that it would cut down on traffic congestion – the Nuthall island on the A610 is a nightmare.
People like Cooper take stupidity to a new level. You see, the Nuthall Roundabout is busy because it is a quarter of a mile from Junction 26 of the M1. In fact, for all practical purposes, it IS Junction 26 of the M1, so you will not cut traffic on it by building a bloody tram line out to it.
The tram – phase I, and the current phase II lines – is a complete and utter waste of money. Even if it were full most of the time it would still only service a tiny percentage of the population. As it is, it is usually empty. So it is laughable to see the additional justification for a phase III posited as servicing 116 new homes, which have recently been given the go ahead.
Those 116 homes would maybe house 400 people at most, which would represent about 0.15% of the population of Nottingham. And on the strength of this they argue that it warrants a third tram line, likely to cost in excess of £570m (that’s the price of phase II).
Idiots.