28/04/2008 by admin.

A few months ago, I was on a tram in Zurich when a group of teenagers got on. They were eating foul-smelling kebabs of some kind but that was their only offence. They spoke in hushed tones and their behaviour was impeccable.

On Friday nightat about 9.30pm  in Manchester, former policewoman Julie Pickard was on a tram when a group of teenagers got on. (see news on the main site). When she remonstrated with one of them for throwing popcorn at her, she was beaten to within an inch of her life.

Police arrived quickly and arrested a 14-year-old, released her on bail, and are now going through CCTV. Had Mrs Pickard, a judo black belt, been a little older and frailer, she would probably have died.

AND HAD THE POLICE BEEN ON BOARD (AND GIVEN THE EVENTS OF THAT NIGHT THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN), IT WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED AT ALL.

Metrolink has a dedicated police unit for which the Pasenger Transport Authority pays GMP dearly. That means you and I, who already pay separately for the police, through our taxes.

But the contract is due to end in July and will not be renewed. There is a suspicion thatthe police no longer take it seriously, that they have been detailing officers with little future - or enthusiasm to the unit.

I have long  suspected that GMP does not take the low level antisocial behaviour on public transport seriously. How else could a private security firm cut the number of incidents so dramatically when it was given the job of patrolling bus stations and buses?

Well now it is high level disorder which could have ended in murder.

I look forward to hearing what the police are going to do about it……

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23/04/2008 by admin.

when I master the technology, you will be able to see my new memeber of staff!

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22/04/2008 by admin.

So BAA’s ownership of seven UK airports “may not be serving well the interests of either airlines or passengers”, the Competition Commission says.

The commission’s “emerging thinking” seems to be emerging as slowly as the luggage from Heathrow’s Terminal 5! Perhaps they should work on an emerging thought that British Airways isn’t doing such a good job for anywhere outside Heathrow either.

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21/04/2008 by admin.

So British Airways is scraping the Manchester to New York service because it is not attracting enough premium passengers. The service will be moved to Heathrow.

This is terrible. I guess you can’t blame British Airways, even though they don’t get much right.

But lets see some action from Manchester Airport to make those premium passengers want to fly from Ringway. Hopefully by now, all those alterations are finished but certainly towards the end of last year, Ringway was not looking anything like Britain’s favourite airport.

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21/04/2008 by admin.

Working alone these days, I miss the office tiffs..but I witnessed one this morning while I was doing my 40 lengths at Todmorden baths.

“Will Susan please go to poolside”, came over the pa. A few minutes later, Susan appeared at poolside, mouthing “Wanker” silently, to relieve the  young man watching we swimmers.

I guess sitting there waiting for one of us to drown is not such a popular stint among the staff….

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21/04/2008 by admin.

I still think John Prescott was the finest transport secretary of modern times. And is in most fields, he was overpromoted to become a shocking deputy prime minister. But even in that role, he is responsible for some of the most memorable political images of the last 30. years: Punching that egg-thrower, the thumbs up as he walked down Downing Street, even playing croquet while in charge of of the country!

But Bulimia???? Do me a favour. I think he only had half the disease. …gorging yes, but mostly forgetting to be sick afterwards.

And to hear people say how brave he has been in ‘coming out’ makes me want to vomit at their naivity. HE’S SAYIG IT BECAUSE HE WANTS TO SELL HIS BOOK!!!

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18/04/2008 by admin.

I only spoke to her a couple of times but Parliament will be a poorer place without Gwyneth. The Transport Committee, thankfully, still has some pretty scary members to carry on her work, not least, our own Graham Stringer.

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16/04/2008 by admin.

Feeling low? Check this link (he belongs to my daughter)…

http://pictures.aol.com/ap/singleImage.do?pid=6ca0WqK7oo0TwNkK95lG6csmdWmGo6siO3Bjv4xQp5Fd3Ig%3D

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16/04/2008 by admin.

I went to a presentation last night from the excellent Jim Steer who is campaigning for new high speed rail lines. (I have put a link to his latest report on my Horse’s Mouth page).

It put me in mind of the patronising visit of Eurostar officials last year to tell us how much the new St Pancrass was to offer Manchester.

They had the nerve to tell a press conference that passengers could now walk along Euston Road from Euston Station to catch a train to Paris or get a tube one stop….AND THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO CHANGE THE SHAPE OF RAIL TRAVEL IN THE NORTH WEST!!!!!

I began to think I had dreamed two years of my life back in the nineties when I was writing regular stories about when Eurostar from Manchester was going to be launched.

They even hired 40 train crew to begin training, lengthened platforms along the route, and stuck “Le Eurostar habite ici” on the train shed at Longsight.

We got within weeks of the promised launch before suddenly the whole idea became uncommercial.

Open access is due to come in a few years time. Anyone fancy starting a train company?

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14/04/2008 by admin.

I’ve been listening to “The Tech Guy”, a radio programme by Leo Laporte, on my I-pod. He offers advice on computer problems and he asked one caller how small some thumbnails were.  ”Tiny little guys,” was the reply…priceless.

The yanks certainly have a way with words. It reminds me of a visit to Vail, Colorado where they had built a new bridge and held a referendum to decide what to name it. What did the residents choose? Abraham Lincoln? George Washington?Neil Armstrong? No, they called the bridge……..

Bob

…like I said, priceless!!! 

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