Posts from — August 2010

It’s not only the route but the principal I have concerns over for the foreseeable future and perhaps ever…

We lost a number of Virgin fast services from Lichfield Trent Valley last year because of subsidy cutbacks meaning it’s not nearly as practical or convenient to use there as it was.

Now there are likely to be more reductions in train services in general nationally because of the crisis in funding left by the last government.

Economic benefit to Staffordshire or a new convenient commuter belt?

And HS2, the last and current government’s proposal for a high speed train link from London northwards to Manchester and possibly beyond, is thirty odd billion I just cannot see the justification for in anything like the short or even medium term.

In fact, apart from tearing a swathe through some of the most rural and pituresque landscape in the central counties of England, including around Lichfield and Tamworth in my patch, I’m unconvinced of its suggested positive economic impact on the Midlands and certainly question that in Staffordshire.

Instead of businesses in London deciding to expand into Staffordshire, as suggested, I worry it is far more likely that businesses based here and in other parts of the Midlands, with a forty minute journey, will see an opportunity to use Staffordshire as a new commuter belt.

That would mean moving their trading and business to the London metropolis but living here in a beautiful part of the country and draining resources for less economic benefit to the county.

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A good example of business, the voluntary sector and state working collaboratively…

Safe motorcycling is the focus and Jonathon King from Tamworth Yamaha is more than happy to use the popularity of his large motorbike business to help promote safer riding.

Yamaha Tamworth and motorcycle police officers encouraging safe riding

I went along to see the County’s Road Safety people, Staffordshire Police and the newly formed Lichfield Advanced Motorcycle Group, as well as Jonathon, at his large showroom on the outskirts of Fazeley.

Like bees to a honeypot motorcycle fans come from miles around to the showroom which is a great opportunity to persuade them to take an advanced motorcycle session for free courtesy of advanced police riders.

Impressed with the volunteers from Lichfield Advanced Motorcycle Group

And I was hugely impressed by a new voluntary motorcycle training group who also meet the first Sunday each month at Fradley Village Hall near to Lichfield.

For a very reasonable charge they provide hours of training in Roadcraft. They are clearly passionate about safer biking and their events calendar is hugely impressive and growing all the time.

The police trainers had certainly been busy with handfuls of forms containing details from people who had or wanted to undertake some training whilst the advanced bikers from Lichfield were happy to take that to a further stage.

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