£19.4m for bus 'rapid transit' scheme along the Don Valley

[Planner1 438]

Because they have to do these projects as a.) a desperate attempt to boost the economy (using borrowed money again) and b.) as a backwards justification for the existence of local transport planners.

 

Is this a dedicated BUS road that excludes cars?

 

Its probably based on the false idea that public transport is somehow "green" or "sustainable". They really dont look ahead when they make these insane decisions.

 

I really am amazed how easily people will condemn something which they clearly know nothing about.

 

Yes, the government are using infrastructure schemes as a way of boosting the economy. Many people think that's a good idea. But, let's not forget that they have actually slashed mainstream transport funding by about 50% and that this scheme was on the books anyway when this government came to power.

 

Yes, the government borrow the money for such things. They always have.

 

No, it isn't a dedicated bus "road" that excludes cars. It's a new road link which bypasses Junction 34 to reduce congestion. It also provides an access road to open up large development sites.

 

And no, it isn't about some "false" idea about buses being green. The main benefits will be time savings and regeneration.

[shao 10]

I knew you would say that but the specifics of this case will not negate the fundamental flaws I'm referring to. The economic benefits are highly dubious in some proposals like HS2. With no jobs to go to or money to spend because areas of actual economic vale (i.e. something that might allow us to pay down our debt) are underfunded. However yeah I dont know much about it .........I couldnt get based some of the false assumptions the case was predicated on.

 

Having read what it is.........I take it all back. Its needed.

[Jim Graham 10]

It would help,put Maltby and Rotherham on the map and the Super High Info Trail

 

 

 

Maltby and Rotherham have both been upgraded to superfast broadband through the South Yorkshire Digital Region. Of course, the quango that runs it blew the budget before 75% of the areas were cabled up. But hey, it's only tax payers money. So, you might not be able to get it.

[Jim Graham 10]

I really am amazed how easily people will condemn something which they clearly know nothing about.

 

Yes, the government are using infrastructure schemes as a way of boosting the economy. Many people think that's a good idea. But, let's not forget that they have actually slashed mainstream transport funding by about 50% and that this scheme was on the books anyway when this government came to power.

 

Yes, the government borrow the money for such things. They always have.

 

No, it isn't a dedicated bus "road" that excludes cars. It's a new road link which bypasses Junction 34 to reduce congestion. It also provides an access road to open up large development sites.

 

And no, it isn't about some "false" idea about buses being green. The main benefits will be time savings and regeneration.

 

 

Regeneration? That old chestnut. How many times have we heard that over the last 30 years and look where we are? Every government penny that gets spent here comes with the regeneration tag.

[Planner1 438]

Regeneration? That old chestnut. How many times have we heard that over the last 30 years and look where we are? Every government penny that gets spent here comes with the regeneration tag.

They need an access road to open up the redevelopment area and a way of reducing the congestion at J34 to enable redevelopment of the sites to take place without locking the whole place up. Sounds like regeneration to me

[Captain_Scarlet 10]

They need an access road to open up the redevelopment area and a way of reducing the congestion at J34 to enable redevelopment of the sites to take place without locking the whole place up. Sounds like regeneration to me

The bit of grass along the railway line, under the viaduct has never been built upon. How can a green area be regenerated?

What you mean is, a road's being built to bypass the annoying roundabout at junction 34S. Benefits of that when there's a railway line with a train every blue moon and could be used to transport the dissolute population from Rotherham (those with eyes in history books will note the irony in my comment).

[Jim Graham 10]

They need an access road to open up the redevelopment area and a way of reducing the congestion at J34 to enable redevelopment of the sites to take place without locking the whole place up. Sounds like regeneration to me

 

 

 

Sounds like a waste of money to me. There are areas all over the city that are supposed to be "regenerated" by spending money on traffic schemes but they lie empty after years. I am thinking of all the money thrown at Ecclesfield where the old coke works used to be. Loads of empty offices built at tax payers expense up there and plenty of tax payers cash chucked at new roads. Number of jobs? A few.

 

There might be £19.4m spent on the scheme plus the 300% overspend. How much of that ends up the local economy? A very small fraction.

 

Yes, we get a nice new road going to an empty plot of land for some brown envelope wielding developers benefit.

 

What do tax payers get out of it? The bill.

[sheffbag 227]

http://www.sy-busrapidtransit.co.uk/

 

 

I presume this has all the details about what's planned. I don't know if the money allocated is to build one route or both.

 

BRT North only, they dont have the money for south, was withdrawn by the govt.

[24-springer 10]

What a total waste of money this is!!

[Bilge 34]

There seems to be a lot of negativity on here about this. Apart from the fact of any external investment in Sheffield being a good thing (even it was Keynesian public works in the manner of digging-a-hole-and-then-filling-it-in-again, which it is't), it could actually be a good idea.

 

Imagine if the current tram system was exactly the same except there were no tracks and the vehicles were buses (eg bendi-buses that look like trams). What difference would it make? It would still be a good system. It could also be extended more easily to other areas and the vehicles could also be used on 'normal' routes. Why are trams thought to be so much better than buses? It's mainly because they are separated from other road traffic, but also because of anti-bus snobbery.

 

I like the tram network and hope it gets expanded, but this system could be almost as good due to its flexibility and cost savings. Let's give it a chance. It might also serve as a test-bed for a future expansion of the tram or rail network.

[Grandad.Malky 11]

. Why are trams thought to be so much better than buses? It's mainly because they are separated from other road traffic, but also because of anti-bus snobbery.

 

I.

 

The fact that it is a greener option and doesn’t stop at the fist sign of a snowflake are purely coincidental.

[sheffbag 227]

I really am amazed how easily people will condemn something which they clearly know nothing about.

 

Yes, the government are using infrastructure schemes as a way of boosting the economy. Many people think that's a good idea. But, let's not forget that they have actually slashed mainstream transport funding by about 50% and that this scheme was on the books anyway when this government came to power.

 

Yes, the government borrow the money for such things. They always have.

 

No, it isn't a dedicated bus "road" that excludes cars. It's a new road link which bypasses Junction 34 to reduce congestion. It also provides an access road to open up large development sites.

 

And no, it isn't about some "false" idea about buses being green. The main benefits will be time savings and regeneration.

 

i know a lot about this scheme Planner as you are no doubt aware. the time savings have not been stated for journey times and the regeneration is for a very very small part of the route (i.e the area next to the sewage works).

 

the carbon cost of building the road has never been calculated as well. It is not a "green" route at all