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Surely some miss Stoke
Page 9
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To devise a cunning plan for dealing with traffic problems in Stoke, a selection of local representatives were invited to attend a meeting. Barry Proctor soon realised he was the sole transport representative...
Thud. Thud. Thud. That, dear reader, is the noise of my head pounding off my desk. You see, this week I had the dubious pleasure of attending a meeting to discuss the future of transport in Stoke. And beating my head against the sturdy veneer is infinitely less painful than having to sit through that again. Yet I was the only haulier invited to attend this particular meeting. The other attendees were trainspotters, bicycle nuts and walking enthusiasts who all had very fixed agendas as to how they would improve transport in Stoke — more miles of unused cycleways, Yet I was the only haulier invited to attend this particular meeting. The other attendees were trainspotters, bicycle nuts and walking enthusiasts who all had very fixed agendas as to how they would improve transport in Stoke — more miles of unused cycleways,
for example.
To give you an idea of what goes on in their minds, the first conversation I had when we split into smaller groups was with someone whose first words to me were: "We need to put all the freight back on the rails." I knew we would get on like a house on fire (flames, screaming etc as the old joke goes) and I put her right quite quickly. Oddly enough, that was the last time she spoke to me that evening. Oh, there were councillors there, too, but seeing as how they're the reason why Stoke is in this mess in the first place, I'm not sure how valid their opinions are.
Armed with pens and flip charts, we spent three hours discussing the problems, yet with scant mention of freight. At the end, the consultants running the show told us that they'd take away our opinions, come up with a plan, have another period of consultation and then eventually come up with some sort of definite scheme... in 2006. In the meantime delivery curfews, speed cameras and weight restrictions will continue to grow, and operators will continue to suffer.
Yes, we need a transport strategy. But to virtually omit freight, the lifeblood of the economy, from a meeting such as this borders on the criminally negligent. I've no idea how much this consultation is costing the council — but when we're denied the creation of a Freight Quality Partnership for the area on grounds of cost you have to wonder if this is money being spent wisely. Now, where's my aspirin?