michael Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7829676.stm What are your thoughts on the plans to build another runway at Heathrow? Personally I think it's time the Government started investing our cash outside of London and believe it's a bit rude to start knocking down houses and businesses when there are places like Leeds with airports surrounded by spare (but pretty) land that could really do with a major cash investment for the airport and the transport links to it. Why put all your eggs in one big smelly London basket? The Conservatives are already saying they won't build it if they get into power... but would they buckle eventually? Further reading: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article5527512.ece http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7830275.stm http://www.notrag.org/ I've only flown from there twice, I had a nice egg sandwich IIRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Also given that the economy is tanking and there are less passengers why is it required? I know the village of Sipson due to working there for a while, and it does seem a shame to plow it out JUST for a bit of runway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 I wonder if the protesters will end up being branded terrorists to make it easier to move them? I added a poll because I know some people have opinions but don't always want to write them down, however if you are for / against the runway could you post up and say why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Yeah why not, they're only southerners. Agree that Leeds should get some more spending though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caseys Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Unfortunately I think it's neccessary for a few reasons, but I do agree with Gav that the economic climate has affected the argument as travel volumes must be down. London is a business hub, you have to think about the infrastructure in the city, networks, buildings etc. Yes Canary Wharf is getting crowded and running out of power but I beleive there's lots of work going in the Docklands area to remediate that. Yes there are some cities out there which could have massive projects to provide a decent network infrastructure and also transport links, accomodation and everything else a large dense population area needs, but I guess no-where's had the clout to start that. Heck looking at Bournemouth some of the big companies have pulled out or are pulling out their HQs even though we're going through a massive 1/2/4Gb fibre-network installation via the sewage network which will provide one of the fastest networked cities in the UK. You also have London as a major travel hub. A lot of planes stop over at Heathrow between going to the US. Also there is the Olympics. London is going through a revamp of it's infrastructure in general (as well as the WestEast London rail link that's costing £15bn+) to build linking Essex and somewhere else to Heathrow. I believe that was planned back as far as 1990 but was shelved due to cost. I agree it's silly, we shouldn't be spending this much money on infrastructure like this whilst the economy is crippled. It allows room to grow... but there's no damn growth at the moment. And I feel sorry for people having owned a home for 40+ years, knowing the local environment etc and now being forced to move via a compulsive purchase order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Leeds need some spending on the roads, frackin hell, I've never driven down such badly pot holed roads! Anyway, I don't think they need another runway, however - I don't know stats of how many planes land and take off from there. I've been in a plane that had to circle because it couldn't land - that's scarier than anything, looking out of the window and seeing other planes circling, how long before a collision? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 I guess the way I see it is that in my eyes London is full, you are trying to squeeze things into a place where there simply isn't room to do. Why not nominate a central location with room for expansion that actually needs some investment to bring it up to scratch (rather than making it capable of taking more air traffic than it needs to) and attempt to boost the economy of the country as a whole rather than constantly looking at London as the only place that matters? What if something happens at Heathrow and all the planes have to be diverted, will the neglected airports it's stolen the investment from be able to cope or will planes just fall from the sky? London has enough public transport, it just has too many people because they keep trying to expand a place that doesn't have any room other than upwards, spread them out, make Bristol or Southampton an overflow (I don't want the southerns up here!) and then work to improve the computer network and transport connections across the country so that people can work from anywhere. In this day and age do people really need to be in an office all the time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lbm Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 What are your thoughts on the plans to build another runway at Heathrow... I've only flown from there twice, I had a nice egg sandwich IIRC. At present London has 5 airports, so I'm not so sure about this one. Was it a plain egg or was cress involved? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 Was it a plain egg or was cress involved? Cress and a small amount of mayo I believe, nice thick granary bread too IIRC, it was from the little Harrods shop - a novelty for a northern monkey but the price was OK and the sandwich very well made. Does that help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lbm Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Cress and a small amount of mayo I believe, nice thick granary bread too IIRC, it was from the little Harrods shop - a novelty for a northern monkey but the price was OK and the sandwich very well made. Does that help? Excellent detail. Now I can move forwards. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie_b Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 If they're going to build it, now is a good time to do so. It'll create jobs that actually need doing, and hopefully will be well underway by the time the economy recovers. I also think infrastructure like air travel needs proper investment to allow businesses to thrive. The crux of the matter for me is, whether it should be at Heathrow or somewhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Cress and a small amount of mayo I believe, nice thick granary bread too IIRC, it was from the little Harrods shop - a novelty for a northern monkey but the price was OK and the sandwich very well made. Does that help? I've never understood the need for cress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 I've never understood the need for cress. Cressist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ark Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I voted No, because I think the regional airports could happily take some of the passenger load- lets face it: not everyone flying into Britain is actually going to London, and the rest of the country could do with some investment. I couldn't give a crap about the environmental issues or noise for the locals. If they don't like noise, they should move away from an airport, duh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl_S Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Long live the new runway at heathrow (when it's built). All hail the new runway at heathrow (when it's built). London is the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. And as such it needs and deserves every ounce of infrastructure that helps it maintain its international credentials and cater for increased air-traffic demands. London is a wonderful, beautiful, and historic capital city and we should be intensely proud of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ark Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 To offer an alternative view-point to Carl, I think London sucks - it's dirty, smelly, overcrowded, expensive, polluted, and so 'up itself' about how great it thinks it is, it doesn't realise what a slum it really is. I'll be happy if I never have to go back there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonB Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Runways are a long term thing - the current economic climate has nothing much to do with it as we're talking about 5,10 years down the line and beyond. The thing that people forget when talking about where you should put runways is that you can't just put an airport anywhere, you have to consider the airspace and how you get aircraft in and out. The London TMA (terminal manourvering area) has the most complex airspace in the world, but the routes are all defined and the airspace organised to support that number of aircraft. Adding a new runway at Heathrow adds to the number of aircraft movements, but that can be accomodated fairly easily. If you stuck an airport further north you would have to totally reorganise the airspace to get aircraft through to that point. That is very complicated and expensive - it requires a lot of design work to resectorise and simulation work to show it works and the capacity can be met. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl_S Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I agree Simon, but what can be done for major northern cities that feel hard done by, and that are also suffering in the economic downturn? P.S. Very sound points you make there sir, do you work in the transport industry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedM Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Long live the new runway at heathrow (when it's built). All hail the new runway at heathrow (when it's built). London is the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. And as such it needs and deserves every ounce of infrastructure that helps it maintain its international credentials and cater for increased air-traffic demands. London is a wonderful, beautiful, and historic capital city and we should be intensely proud of it. Did you know that you don't have to put down every thought you have into words? Sometimes it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keancy Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I voted no because I agree with what some other people have said. The fact that other places in this country could do with being upgraded into this Century. Cornwall being only one good example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl_S Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 RedM, thank for your comment on my post and my posting habits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I voted no. I fail to see why the extra needed capacity has to be served by Heathrow. Crikey, the plane stack there is already far too big. Why not invest in some of the other London airports and those around the rest of the country. Look at Luton for example. Easy to get to, close to the M1 and London etc. Ideal for a bit of BAA money investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl_S Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Heathrow has the infrastucture, and is in london already. Yes the greens and Cameron are upset if it went ahead, becuase it would be more flights and more damage to the environment, but plowing more investment into london, and making more jobs in that part of london can't be a bad thing. It's not exactly a posh area around Heathrow is it? I mean who wants to live under flight paths etc? Getting ready for 2012 needs things like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supra_aero Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Cressist. I see some have commented on updating other parts of the UK. I bet if a new airport was near Cornwall, we' d still get complaints. "Noise pollution, traffic smog, congestion ". It's one of those decisions where no matter what, you won't please everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 They wanted to expand Elvington from 800 flights a year to 10,000, that got rejected: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/7829433.stm Probably just as well, it's already fairly well booked up for car stuff this year: http://www.elvington.org/calendar/events_2008.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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