tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post8739147134543624319..comments2024-03-17T12:51:33.240+00:00Comments on Zelo Street: Alliance Of No ActionTim Fentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00726447899972084146noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-91637148365628171372010-11-29T15:49:06.691+00:002010-11-29T15:49:06.691+00:00Thanks for stopping by, Hilary, and I'm not su...Thanks for stopping by, Hilary, and I'm not surprised that you are mounting a robust defence of the HS2AA document.<br /><br />But there is no way that Bradford is anything like the size of Edinburgh: you're mixing city boundary with Metropolitan district.<br /><br />But, as I've already said, you're making spurious comparisons: the distances in all the other countries you quote are far longer.<br /><br />Without fiddling the figures - something to which I shall return when I subject the HS2AA report to a little more light roasting - you would have included Edinburgh and Spain would have come top. In any case, it will from the 18th of next month, as I noted.<br /><br />Had you used the Netherlands, as I pointed out, that country would have come top, and no internal passenger train service there is timed at more than 140km/h.<br /><br />Scarce resources are indeed important, but you haven't put forward a credible alternative. I note the reference to other studies, but the fact is that the West Coast Main Line has so little spare capacity that the only extra passenger train path on offer in future is one an hour, and off-peak only - and then only for trains that can do 125mph and tilt.Tim Fentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00726447899972084146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-10934473691291969732010-11-29T12:59:30.625+00:002010-11-29T12:59:30.625+00:00Link to the Eurostat data mentioned in my intial c...Link to the Eurostat data mentioned in my intial comment - http://tinyurl.com/443umyHilary Wharfhttp://www.hs2actionalliance.org/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-4846182078449343772010-11-29T12:49:49.139+00:002010-11-29T12:49:49.139+00:00'We are delighted that you have reached page 2...'We are delighted that you have reached page 25 and 26. Robust data sources and analysis has been used throughout the document<br /> <br />There are many sources of population data. What is important is to have a uniform source and definition for all data (as far as possible). The usual definition for city populations (and that used by Eurostat, an official body for such data)) is that of the city admin boundary. That is what has been used here. The data can be found in the attached document. Bradford you will see is larger than Edinburgh. If you also look at the wikapedia entry for both you will see the same ranking. <br /> <br />The fact our cities are nearer together is precisely the point. Our country is smaller. Our main centres nearer. We have less need for an even faster network. Other countries cannot get between their main centres of population as quickly as we already can, and have been able to for many years. <br /> <br />The analysis deliberately compared us with the major West European countries that have been introducing HSR - Spain, Italy, Germany, and France - the countries where it is often presumed that they have a faster network. In fact as the analysis shows our intercity network created decades ago, has stood the test of time.<br /> <br />The future was not included. The data is not yet available. At some point other countries may indeed overtake us.<br /> <br />But surely we should ask more fundamental questions. Is it our countries priority to be top? We have only a finite amount of resources. How should they be spent? On education, on health, on social benefits, or on getting between our cities even more quickly?'Hilary Wharfhttp://www.hs2actionalliance.orgnoreply@blogger.com