What would really work: Massive investments in wind power, solar farms, cycleways, electric buses and faster trains. What won’t work: expanded airports. - ThreadSky

carltonreid.com • 25 days ago

What would really work: Massive investments in wind power, solar farms, cycleways, electric buses and faster trains.

What won’t work: expanded airports.

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carltonreid.com•25 days ago

Should have also said “cheaper trains.” Oh, and if UKGOV seriously wanted to fill the national coffers all it needs do is impose fines for those who pavement park. £billions raised overnight!

johnc-bha.bsky.social•25 days ago

Pavement parking is the very epitome of 'car-brain'.
The absolute scourge of everyone else (Inc most other car users) and yet 'we' turn a blind eye because 'well it's a car, isn't it'.

carltonreid.com•25 days ago

It’s also deemed to be altruistic, leaving space for cars to get through. Pedestrians? Tumbleweed.

freedomchips.bsky.social•25 days ago

How about a high speed train link for Manchester to London?

mr-gear.bsky.social•25 days ago

Frequent flyers should pay exponentially increasing taxes for regular flights. That would stop people taking ridiculous flights for a short meeting or weekend in Barcelona.

mr-gear.bsky.social•25 days ago

Oh, and private jets shouldn't really be a thing at all.

mattdawhit.bsky.social•24 days ago

Have you got a direct line somewhere?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-unleashes-offshore-wind-revolution

carltonreid.com•24 days ago

If I had, there would also be a massive building of cycling infrastructure!

tjmoore.co.uk•25 days ago

Needs to be cheap enough for people to pick the train over a flight though. It's ridiculous how cheap some trains are in parts of Europe, yet outrageously expensive in the UK.

Still, expanding airports doesn't solve any of the problems, just creates more. Like motorways, induced demand.

andygeology.bsky.social•25 days ago

I'd clarify your list by saying "faster electrified trains" but otherwise you are bang on

secretsquidgle.bsky.social•25 days ago

Tax domestic flights and use the revenue to subsidise and build out rail to those places.

Runway capacity solved.

12% of LHRs passenger volume is domestic. The figures for actual flights will be much higher as domestic aircraft are smaller but take up the same runway and landing slots.

alanpx.bsky.social•25 days ago

And you could do most of it soon enough to make a difference at the next election.

mr-blogberry.bsky.social•25 days ago

I'd add - more investment away from the south east. Giving away cash to rich football clubs doesn't count. Arsenal managed to build a load of homes as part of their new stadium without a handout. Why are we giving Ratcliffe and the yanks a load of cash? Spend it on trains and buses instead.

emma-worthington.bsky.social•12 days ago

Why not allow regions to offer corporate tax incentives (within reason)? People move to the SE for jobs, companies to the SE because the workforce is larger. Need to break that cycle.

mr-blogberry.bsky.social•12 days ago

That might be too difficult. Take McDonalds for instance, how do you separate out their workforce?
It could work through business rates a bit. Where companies are charged a LOT more for being in the SE and vice versa. There is already a difference, but it could be tweaked.

emma-worthington.bsky.social•12 days ago

It could work for smaller companies or HQs. In Switzerland the cantons have different tax rates (income and corporation). There needs to be enough incentive to get companies to move, and they will to save money!

mr-blogberry.bsky.social•12 days ago

That would mean introducing a new type of taxation. I think we already have the levers in place, they just need pulling the correct amount.
The investment in transportation and high speed Internet would also have to be there. It is not an easy tide to turn.

emma-worthington.bsky.social•12 days ago

True and true. All these would be good things, so will never happen.

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