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Now that the UK (English) government has decided this month (February 2020) to approve the construction of England's second high speed railway line for around £106 billion (BILLION!) many questions are left hanging. One of the most pertinent questions is whether any of the promises to extend the line north of Birmingham Curzon Street station will ever be realised? Another one is why does it not connect to High Speed 1 (and therefore miss the huge opportunity to run direct services to the rest of Europe)? Another other question is can the Chinese National Railway Company build it faster and cheaper - as it has said that it can? Way beyond all of that is can it be made into a wider worthwhile proposition for the tax-paying public who will no doubt be asked to bail it out?
I have had an idea. I call it LOW SPEED 2. It is at the opposite end of the transport spectrum to HS2 but infinitely capable of bringing on-going, enduring happiness to millions of people.
It is very low cost
It is great fun
It is physically healthy
It is mentally relaxing
It is wildlife friendly
It is climate change positive
It is a circular economy
It is beautiful
It takes as much of your time as you want to invest in its pleasures
So, what is it? In short an idea to create a wildflower meadow corridor between London and Birmingham and thread it with local and long-distance cycling and walking routes (a potential inter-city National Trail or a linear National Park perhaps?) and base it all around the Grand Union Canal route from Little Venice/Paddington Basin to Typhoo Basin (in Birmingham 'the Venice of the Midlands'). Encouraging family cycle-camping, bike hire, e-bike hire and charging points, paddle-boarding and kayak hire, pubs, tea-shops, accommodation, luggage transfer businesses, farm conservation landscapes, climate change off-setting, the world's longest linear orchard, land art, canal festivals, local farm produce enterprises, urban restoration and uplift, and as much fun as you could shake a bike pump at...The wider worthwhile proposition is to link it as a slow travel option to the HS2 'offer'; high speed one way and slow speed back - the ultimate travel combo - and a great way to offset your high speed, high carbon lifestyle choices, guilt-free.
You can read more about LOW SPEED 2 in the BEE section of WWW.UDDERDISHBEELEAF.COM
Let's make it happen
Contact me for a chat perhaps?