Christian Wolmar's May newsletter
Christian Wolmar
Dear subscriber
I am writing this from Italy where it’s warmer and drier, as I have the good fortune to be the rapporteur for a conference on accessibility, oddly in Bellagio, a very inaccessible place along a fantastically narrow and windy road on a peninsula of the stupendously beautiful Lake Como. The mountains are covered with a new dusting of snow suggesting it’s not only in the UK where it’s been unseasonably warm. It shows how we should talk of climate change, not global warming!
It’s a very interesting discussion focussed on the fact no one wants to pay for urban transport and yet everyone recognises how badly it is needed. It has also raises an interesting issue around the question of what transport is for. While obviously it increases mobility, the aim of transport should be accessibility since what people want is to get to the places they need to, a very different proposition from simply travelling more.
It is, though, slightly depressing in that most of the research on transport and urban planning goes over old ground which has been well known for decades – such as that developments in areas without public transport will lead to massive use of cars. Not rocket science as one of the participants said today but nevertheless it seems the lessons have to be relearned. This was brought home to me when an American friend sent me an article about the trend towards ‘Transit Oriented Developments’ which simply means building homes which have access to public transport. A no-brainer in reality but a radical idea in the US.
In rather less exciting travels, I went to Heathrow to look at the operation of the pods which drive automatically between the long stay car park and T5 and I found them a genuinely innovative form of transport. Watch out for an article in the forthcoming Surveyor magazine.
There’s not much extra on the site this month as I’ve had technical problems – no broadband – so this newsletter is more to announce a couple of events. First, there is the launch of my new book, The Great Railway Revolution, the epic story of American railroads published by Atlantic, on May 14th at Holland Park Daunts Bookshop just next to the Tube, at 18 30.
Secondly, on June 8th I will be giving the inaugural lecture on the book, with a PowerPoint showing all the pictures – and more – at the National Railway Museum at 7pm. Earlier, I will be signing books in the Railfest show, so do please come along, rain or shine. Bring any already read copies of my books – or indeed unread ones – which I will be happy to sign. If you can’t make either signing, email me through my website and I’ll tell you how to pay for me to send you one.
By the way, while on the subject, if you have read Subterranean Railway or any of my other previous books, and do please review them for Amazon. I have noticed that a couple of very hostile reviews have appeared lately which I suspect come from dubious sources, as they are out of kilter with the others and the tone is particularly antagonistic. I don’t mind critical reviews – I even welcome them - but do not like misinformed ones which accuse me of things that I have not written. Unfortunately, Amazon exercise no quality control.
On the site, there’s a couple of pieces which appeared in the Evening Standard on the uninspired offerings from both Ken and Boris in the mayoral election http://www.christianwolmar.co.uk/2012/04/for-boris-and-ken-the-road-is-still-king/ and on Boris’s continued suggestion of ‘driverless’ trains http://www.christianwolmar.co.uk/2012/03/boris-driverless-trains-are-no-such-thing/ Boris’s victory was depressing since Ken had the better policies but Livingstone should never have stood. Next time there must be someone who will attract voters, not deter them and presumably it will be an easier task to win since Boris will go on to higher things – though if he becomes Prime Minister, I will eat a Boris bike.
Otherwise, the rest including the usual Rail articles will get put on the site in time for next month’s newsletter. Oh and remember to click on the ads...they pay for the site.
Buona Sera
Christian Wolmar