NGT trolley bus – another daft idea

The proposed NGT trolley bus for Leeds does not decrease carbon dioxide pollution; it just delocalises it away back to a coal fired power station. The transmission losses actually increase carbon dioxide pollution. It will do less than buses do as it can’t be deployed for school runs, specials, and can’t be used off its wires. It only covers a small part of the city. Bus lanes and cycle lanes will be removed. Mature trees dug up, Yorkshire stone walls removed and more concrete installed at junctions. The private companies that build and run it will make a fortune out of the initial public investment of £250+ million.

Only a deprivatised, locally controlled, cheap, integrated transport system will make a dfference to our mad, congested car culture.

The NGT has attracted much adverse comment in the YEP. An extract is given below:

“Wow! Buses on wires! I can barely cope with the excitement. It’ll be like riding on a bus. With wires!

We’ll be able to look up to the sky, and see wire after wire. I liked the wire, so I’m all for it! It’ll only cost the GDP of a small country, and I like buses too!”

We need more urban railway stations. There are six that could be rebuilt now. There are regional rail lines that could be restored such as the Wetherby line. Leeds should spend the £250 million as it sees fit and ignore this central Government publicity stunt. Its just an election promise which will just be cancelled in a few years time.

A large white elephant would be the most suitable logo for this scheme.

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