One solution to this irritation is to stop voting in local elections because no-one asked for this and yet here it is. To let us know we are in the 21st Century and consistency is a thing long forgotten the motorway speed limit is expected  to go up to 80mph and red tape and regulation is to be reduced. Obviously a significant number of these incidents aren’t on roads that will be part of this exercise.

The leaflet contains no data or targets for improvement. Yet searching the internet it seems that in the last 5 years the number of serious injuries and deaths on Lancashire roads has reduced from about 1100 to around 800 although deaths seem to fluctuate around 60 people.

Who’d deny that saving one life isn’t worthwhile and yet this seems like another handcuff for decent people being spread broadbrush.  Let’s face it there are jobs at stake here, jobs creating rules and how proud you’d feel to have brought in such a rule. How proud you’d be that having landed a job in safety you improved it even though the environmental department got a pasting with increased emissions that created a demand for further restrictions and the NHS got more asthma cases in hospital. Bravo!

Recently the example of Edinburgh highlights the risks of what appears a relatively simple task.  Edinburgh’s tram system is years late, has cost around 5 times more than planned and is going to be under half the original length. In the last week there has been a lot debate about whether the track will reach the city centre at a further cost of £250million.  A lot of this seems to be put down to inadequate survey of the route. Most people don’t realise that all utilities under the track are moved so that the track isn’t dug up on a regular basis. In Edinburgh this turned out to be a very major job with unknown tunnels and sewers.  It might be thought Preston has less likelihood of unknown under road obstacles.  It is also said that Manchester and Nottingham did a bigger survey and had less problems although maybe they wouldn’t have had them anyway.

Birmingham based Rotala are an Alternative Investment Market (AIM) listed company who operate a number of bus fleets in Birmingham, Bristol and around London.  Rotala shares are at 28p. The Chairman of Rotala is John Rudd who is a venture capitalist and enjoys developing businesses.  He views the bus industry as 5 large players and one small one, Rotala, and seems to see it as a challenge.    Let’s hope Preston is the first of others in this area and that Preston becomes a regional Rotala hub.

There is some merit in the proposal but how many deaths will it save and will it change peoples attitude.  It’s easy to come up with objections to any change, and lately we’ve seen plenty, but 20 mph is very slow.  What is a ’residential road’?  Is Garstang Road or Watling Street Road residential or is it just side roads. How many street signs will it need. A 100yd cul-de-sac with a 20mph speed sign on it?  Who is going to enforce it, will it be 3 points on your license for travelling at 23 mph in mid-morning? Also it can be confusing to pedestrians who think cars are at a distance not to cross then they take longer to arrive and you are tempted to cross.  It certainly isn’t environmentally friendly or cheap as a reduction in miles per gallon approaching 20% might be expected.

Outside schools and within a certain distance it seems a reasonable idea although there is a school near us with a full set of humps and full time 20mph restriction and it’s so irritating when there is no-one about to manoeuvre round these humps and drive so slowly.  In Leyland they have sharp edged humps which should be illegal, keep away if you like your car.

Update: It seems that it is restricted to side roads, however that is defined.

To build a park and ride with no-one wanting to park there and bus services to no-where in particular isn’t the best example of planning. Now Lancashire County Council are looking to sell it and are looking for ideas of where to build another one.

Is Preston congested?  Probably at rush hour it is, but the rest of the time there is no problem at all.   If Tithebarn is built will this create more traffic?  Yes, but most people travelling to the type of stores being proposed aren’t going to be keen to take a long bus ride, if they want to take one at all. 

Park and Ride doesn’t appeal unless its very efficient, secure, not too crowded and if the city is unfamiliar. That means the Preston Park and Ride to serve the north, east and more distant south, if it’s necessary, should be on Moor Park as it has easy motorway access and isn’t too far out of the centre. It could also serve Deepdale Retail Centre and be used for the football.  Using Moor Park might be controversial but it depends on how big the car park is and whether the council can sweeten this by smartening up the park and providing facilities that might appeal to people who are using the car park.

Ashkok-Leyland is owned by Hinduja Group and has factories in India as well as the UAE and East Europe. The company began in 1948, although the tie up with Leyland in the 1950′s created the name Ashkok-Leyland. It has manufacturing and technology agreements with Nissan and Avia as well as its own research.  The tie up with Optare provides Optare technology while giving Optare access to A-L lower cost sources and wider market base.

It is forecast that the total Indian workforce will grow to be larger than that of China by 2030 and rise to a billion by 2040. If the forecast is accurate and the planet can sustain such numbers it will create a massive market that will be a magnet for worldwide manufacturers. India is training engineers at a rate not heard of here for a long time and they are generally looking to be self sufficient.  Survival in the world market requires strategic intelligence as well as technological prowess and carefully controlled costs and it is hoped that Optare can cleverly tread through this minefield to continue as a British manufacturer with design and development in the UK.

The area north and east of Preston has some attractive countryside blighted by the continual spread of warehouses and offices.  Building another road doesn’t seem a good idea.  Widening the roundabout will only move the congestion elsewhere. Somehow the traffic should be fitted onto existing roads perhaps using the motorway and creating new junctions, restricting speeds during rush hours and perhaps using the hard shoulder.

Now that the government has removed building targets outlying housing projects should be stopped and more built in areas with ready made transport and employment and on brown field sites. The concept of distant commuting should be deterred, perhaps by congested roads. Then again most people are tired of government dictators and a more libertarian position is now expected.

Not only overall winners but were also finalists in 8 out of the 12 categories including also winning the Business Development and Change Management Award.

The company currently employs 970 people at the Leyland site and exports around 50% of it’s products. Two years ago it made 25,000 vehicles and has recently expanded the capability of the factory to include fully bodied trucks straight to the customer.

Read More – Click here to go to our website page and other links

Ex-Leyland employees and bus enthusiasts working to restore and catalogue the exhibits and records. Over the last few years the museum has struggled despite its fine collection.

It seemed some of the Friends of the Museum had an agenda that wasn’t exactly in line with the museum management.  After a lot of internal politics the main members of the dissenters group departed.

There was cafe service complete with a railway station announcement through a metal jug – train to London stopping at Wigan, Warrington, Crewe……. Funny.  Wish I’d heard a live performance while eating my Chorley Cake.

The serious work of getting the museum back on its feet is progressing through the action of a new manager and the trustees who had run a successful summer festival and obtained accreditation to enable funding grants to be sought.  So an optimistic note at the end.

The museum is priceless with some great vehicles and needs more support. Definitely must take another visit.

The Made in Preston website has a page on the subject, click here.

You expect the Green Party to support green policies. Yes, wind power, insulation and waste management are high on the agenda.  Along with quite high social provision and low defence provision. 

Who could argue with wind, insulation and waste measures? Insulation seems to be one of the biggest factors in reducing energy bills. It isn’t very glamorous though and isn’t going to gain technological credibility so doesn’t get a lot of press. 

All those windmills.  Are they becoming a bit of a blight already?  They’re often not turning, so not very dependable. For the region with its seas, hills and facing the prevailing wind we can expect a lot more who-ever is in power but even more with the Greens. We can also expect Heysham Power Stations to close and the fuel site at Salwick.

Waste? All that plastic packaging and milk cartons. Surely it should be discouraged.  Some countries already re-cycle twice as much as the UK without too much difficulty.

Another Green policy is an increase in public transport.  Not too long ago their promise of building 30,000 new buses would sound like manna from heaven for this region, Leyland,  but now there is hardly any bus building except some body work at East Lancs Coachbuilders, Optare.  

There wasn’t much written about reducing car use but cutting rail fares by  30% and expanding public transport implies a reduction in car use. I’m not convinced about a 30% cut in rail fares. A cut from £10 to £7 is only marginally advantageous and if I was spending that every day, a cut from £50 to £35 wouldn’t be life changing. I’m against encouraging distance commuting so in some ways an increase in fares might help that.  I have free bus use now and have never used it, so cars will need to be penalised. 

The 30,000 buses are an interesting concept. British jobs for British workers?  Including steel from Middlesbrough for windmills and buses, although probably it’s the wrong steel and too little, too late and steel making isn’t green. 

Taxes on aviation, like VAT on aviation fuel, and restrictions on new runways coupled with reductions in rail fares, might create an advantage to resorts like Blackpool.  Especially if the pound sank because of the financial controls the Greens promise. 

On defence the Greens are looking at a defensive posture and only venturing overseas under the UN. As UN don’t usually use more than Land Rovers and light armour you could say no overseas capability will be needed.  Is that goodbye to Ascension, Falklands and perhaps Gibraltar.  Aircraft Carriers and their aircraft and probably a lot of the navy wouldn’t be needed. Trident is definitely out.  I wouldn’t hold much hope for the aircraft industry in Lancashire or ship industry at Barrow.  As an area with a large defence and nuclear industry how many defence workers does it take to insulate one loft.

The Greens are also big on social welfare including workers and human rights and a citizens wage. 

There are other policies about building solar arrays in Africa and using high voltage d.c. transmission lines to bring in the power.  As well as local generation.  It’s not long ago I was reading about the advantages of the a.c. distribution system so I must re-visit that. Surely a policy like that couldn’t be written without engineering awareness. 

The Greens also support the EU, but not as a nation, and support international co-operation, who doesn’t.

As you’d expect, some big changes would result and I was a bit surprised that they seem quite left wing when out of the major elements of the ‘green zone’.   I’d support a ‘greener’ track in many aspects and use of local producers and local workers appeals. There’s always a downside to this type of social engineering in that if basic stuff becomes more expensive you’ve less to spend on enjoyment. In conclusion they won’t get my vote but have my support as a pressure group.