Trams.

 

Following my article last week about the cutting down of the congestion charge camera mounted on a pole near the corner of Frobisher Road and Manor Road in Erith, there have been some developments. As you can see from the photograph above - which you can click on to see a larger version. A person or persons unknown moved the cut down camera on the pole so that it blocked both the footpath and the cycle lane which runs alongside it. It was reported to me that at least one person with mobility issues who was using a mobility scooter was unable to navigate past the obstruction and had to be assisted by another member of the public. The matter was raised with local councillors, but fortunately, prior to any action being taken by them, the authorities who maintain and control the cameras came and removed it to restore accessibility to the public right of way. I am not going to get involved in debates over the rights and wrongs of the entire camera system, merely the inconvenience and obstruction caused when things do not operate as planned, as has happened in this case. Fortunately, the situation is now resolved, at least for the time being, although I do see it possibly recurring in the future. Please let me know what you think.

For reasons that I will explain, I have had a somewhat ambivalent attitude towards PLEVs - Personal Light Electric Vehicles, otherwise known as e-bikes or e-scooters. The principal reason for my ambivalence was that as I have written in the past, some years ago I was hit by a rider on an illegal electric scooter and knocked over, which caused me quite considerable injuries. The incident happened very close to my own front door. The rider of the scooter, who was knocked off it during the collision got back onto it and rode away at great speed without so much as an apology. I reported the issue to the police, and there was a witness standing at a bus stop close by. I was told by a police contact that they had a pretty good idea who the culprit was, but they could not identify them formally as there was insufficient evidence, and it would not stand up in court. On a more positive note, I have a friend who I originally met when he became a Maggot Sandwich reader quite some years ago. He runs a number of electric vehicles, including an electric powered car, and he was one of the pioneers of the technology before they became more popular and widespread. I try maintain a balanced view, and overall I think that electric vehicles are one of the ways forward for transportation, if not the only one. Unfortunately many of the e-bikes and e-scooters are sold online and do not meet UK legal standards, as they are unregulated and capable of speeds far in excess of the 15 miles an hour legal top speed. To be compliant with the current law, they should only be powered by the electric motor when the pedals are also being turned by the rider, but the illegal ones usually have a trigger or a twist grip on the handlebars, so that the rider just sits on it like a conventional motorbike. A vehicle with an electric motor that is basically a motorbike powered by electricity requires the rider to be wearing a helmet, have the bike registered and also insured. From my research this almost never happens. Until recently, nothing has been done about this by the authorities, but in the last 10 days or so the Metropolitan Police have been cracking down on these illegal electric vehicles and have been impounding and subsequently crushing them. Whilst some of these vehicles are used by delivery couriers, they are also used by a large number of criminals. Because they are silent and extremely rapid, luxury watch thieves, and mobile phone thieves find them the preferred method of transportation. I also understand they are used by drug dealers to offer a door door illegal drug delivery service in the same way as a law-abiding person might order a pizza. I am somewhat sceptical about whether this crackdown will make a major dent in the use of these illegal electric vehicles, as the police would need to keep the crackdown going for several months, and I do not see this happening due to the other operational pressures they are under, and their lack of resources. Other major issues such as antisocial behaviour, knife crime, and other emergencies will almost certainly mean that the current operation will be little more than symbolic in my opinion. Although I really hope to be proven wrong in this respect. Comments to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

I know that many users of the local railway services, understandably get extremely annoyed when trains are cancelled, delayed, or otherwise disrupted due to various conditions, some of which are specific to this time of year, with the lower temperatures, increased precipitation and often high winds. South Eastern have published an explanation of why some of these disruptions happen. Unfortunately, they do not mention the fact that much of their rolling stock on local lines is over 30 years old, and overdue for replacement. I know that much of the work carried out at the large Slade Green railway works and depot is by engineers and fitters to keep these older trains working on a day-to-day basis. However, South Eastern do have some relevant observations on other factors that cause disruptions to local oil services. They write, in an announcement published last Tuesday:- "As temperatures drop and nights draw in, so too come cosy evenings by the fire and the twinkling of festive lights in trees and windows across the country. But as we head further into the season and the weather takes a turn, problems can arise across the rail network. When the temperature drops, even the lightest shower of rain or dusting of snow can freeze and become compacted on the rails, turning into dangerous ice. Not only does this freeze around the electric rail and create an insulating effect preventing trains from drawing power and being able to move with any speed – in the worst cases, it stops them from being able to move at all. Strong winds, heavy rain and storms can also bring your journey to a standstill. They are often the culprits behind major disruption on our network, such as flooding, fallen trees, and debris on the tracks (like garden furniture and trampolines) or dangerous landslips which can block the line. But we know you've got places to go. That’s why, together with Network Rail, we’re working to keep you moving. When winter weather strikes, we run snow-and-ice-busting trains round the clock. These special trains are kitted out with anti-icing fluid, which works in a similar way to salt gritters on the road, preventing our electric rail from freezing in the first place. We’re also: Installing pumps at flood-prone locations like Wadhurst to help clear water quickly and keep trains moving. Installing remote condition monitoring - tiny electronic sensors in the ground that detect any movement and send alerts if a landslip is likely and carrying out engineering works to protect the railway from landslips. Managing hundreds of miles of track side trees and shrubs year-round and asking our line side neighbours to secure loose items, like trampolines, before storms hit. Our station teams are also ready to go with gritting and snow-clearing. To try to keep disruptions to your journeys to a minimum, we may have to make some changes to our timetables when bad weather hits. Some services will be less frequent, and some stations may close, but this allows us to complete all the work needed to keep you moving, albeit a little slower than usual to keep you and our staff as safe as possible".

I did not plan for this week's blog update to be primarily transport themed, but sometimes local events dictate where the content will be focused. Regular readers may recall that I recently wrote about the proposed extension of the Docklands Light Railway underneath the River Thames to Thamesmead. Even those most keen supporters of the extension agree that it would cost at least £1.7 billion. If one looks at history, all of these large transport projects usually experience large cost overruns and delays. A good example of this is what was then called Crossrail and is now the Elizabeth Line, which nearly doubled in cost by the time it finally opened. It has been a massive success, and in my opinion it justifies the expenditure. Nevertheless, the Docklands Light Railway would be an exceedingly large expense. Last week a new proposal was suggested, which might be substantially cheaper, yet offer most, if not all of the benefits. When Transport for London conducted an opinion poll with residents of Thamesmead, around 60 people suggested that instead of a DLR extension that a tram system was installed in the town linking Abbey Wood railway station to Thamesmead, and possibly continuing on into Lower Belvedere. Although a tram has a lower lower passenger carrying capacity than a light railway system, it can use existing road connections, and can run alongside ordinary traffic, as can be seen in places such as Croydon - as seen in the photo above - click on it to see a larger version. A tram system would not need expensive tunnels or new station stops and would be more cost effective than a DLR extension. An example of this can be seen in Paris where 79 miles of tramway have been constructed in the suburbs since 1993 to connect with major railway stations heading into the centre of the city. This demonstrates that this model of operation works, and actually operates at a modest profit. I understand that Transport for London have declined the suggestion of a tram system, as they say it would not have a great enough passenger carrying capacity. Personally, I would like to see some evidence of the calculations behind this decision. At the time of writing, the government still have not explained how any extension to the DLR would be financed. 

The end video this week is on the subject of the historic train derailment and crash in Hither Green on the evening of the 5th of November 1967, which involved BeeGee Robin Gibb, and multiple fatalities. Comments and feedback as usual to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.