Let me tell you a story about a wee girl who just wanted to take the train.
Trains you see are the most environmentally friendly way to get people from A to B.
They hold lots and lots of folks (even dogs) and can be electrified so they don’t use the fossil fuels slowly poisoning us and the planet. And have you seen the modern price of filling your tank?!
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That’s why we need trains that go fast and often between major population hubs at the very least. It’s really not a lot to ask, is it?
Trains and hydrogen or electric buses that get us all where we need to be faster than cars would make huge difference to life in this wee place. We’d have much cleaner air and we’d all do more walking - winner for everyone.
My train rage this week was sparked by my need to get to Dublin for a conference by 8.30am. It’s already harder to take the train because driving is at least 40 minutes quicker - but I was determined to do the right thing.
Wednesday being a weekday I thought "surely there’s a train that would get one from Belfast to Dublin in time for a usual 9-5 day" - even if mine was gonna be a lot longer.
How wrong I was.
Plenty of people travel from NI to Dublin for work and it got me thinking this massive and frankly stupid timetable has many of them jumping in their petrol guzzlers as the train doesn’t cater to their needs.
And if our trains aren’t working for us - how can we ever expect to get more people on them?
You can’t get a bike on a train before 9.30am, so that puts off cyclists. The system is clunky, takes longer than driving and is long overdue an upgrade.
There aren’t nearly enough express services and don’t even get me started on all the western towns who had their stations ripped out by the bozos bossing Northern Ireland 50 years ago. And why, oh why are we still printing tickets for every single journey when so many of us have digital wallets? (I’m not saying do away with paper tickets for those who need it - btw!)
Also, why can’t you pay with your card to get on a bloody bus? When I asked a driver about it lately they said the bosses told them it was being sorted eight years ago - yet here we still are!
A Translink spokesperson said they "recently rolled out contactless fare options on all Metro bus services in Belfast" - as for the rest of NI, they said "we are also planning to expand our new ticketing system to Ulsterbus".
My Twitter vent about not being able to get to Dublin from Belfast in time for a typical 9-5 shift struck a chord with a lot of folks.
That tells me that I’m not the only one out there who’s angry at the state of public transport both in NI and the Republic.
The earliest train a gal can get from Lanyon Place to Dublin Connolly is at 6.50am - and you’re lucky to arrive by 9am.
I didn’t and I was 40 minutes late for my conference, missing two of the three Irish Ministers speaking at its launch.
To the transport gods that sent us down this path - it’s a bloody disgrace. I know we have an all-island rail strategy in the making, plans for a north-south glider (still shoulda been a tram) and a transport hub well under construction. I also know we’re getting electric and hydrogen buses.
But these are all down the line things and they are not enough.
This is a message to all our politicians.
We need massive investment in public transport - not another road cutting through the countryside hitting biodiversity again. Give people in the west their trains back and there’ll be less using cars and less accidents on the A5.
It’s time to get real, think big, stop talking and start providing what we need to improve all our futures.
Clean Air/Green Transport days and bike weeks without the infrastructure needed to make them viable are just greenwashing.
It may cost big in the beginning but reconnecting the train lines, providing better timetables, services that beat car times and buses where people can tap on and off will get more bums on seats.
With all this talk of boosting the economy, why can’t you see a fit for purpose transport system will improve just about everything?
Health, congestion, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and the economy.
More people will take public transport if it works for them.
That means more people walking from said public transport depots to their place of work - and by default through towns and cities.
In turn, that surely means more spending in those areas with ‘I’ll just nip in to the shop’ notions taking over our brains as we dander.
Oh, and let kids go free.
A transport system that works for everyone would be a game changer.
Translink said: "Together with our colleagues in Irish Rail and the SEUPB Peace Plus project we have ambitious plans to invest in the Enterprise service. These include an hourly frequency, new rolling stock and infrastructural improvements to reduce journey times."
Minister Poots has been a busy boy this week
He renamed DAERA HQ Jubilee House and invited the press, visited Castlewellan Park to have a go at some new rescue equipment bought by the Rural Community Rescue Scheme and its the park’s newly refurbished and enhanced Bothy Yard in the arboretum.
The most important thing that happened in the NI environment world this week was that our first Climate Bill was given Royal Assent but not a proactive word.
Jubilee House looks lovely and its great to see outdoor spaces getting the attention and equipment needed.
But you’d think the man currently in charge of making sure NI does its bit to help save the planet would have the Bill’s approval at the top of his agenda.
He said on Friday evening he’s “delighted” - but only after I asked.
Now he must “lay the first Climate Action Plan before the Assembly by the end of 2023”.
“The Act will be implemented over many decades and will require all Northern Ireland departments, the Executive, the wider public sector, private businesses and individuals to play their part.”
It all starts in the community
My heroes this week are all the communities pulling together to help fight the biodiversity and climate crises no matter how insurmountable those issues still seem.
While progress is slow and there is still a long way to go, it’s because of those people these issues are becoming more mainstream than ever.
Today (SAT) many of those fighting to protect for nature and the planet are meeting in Rostrevor at the latest Gathering event to talk about the rights of nature.
I can’t wait to meet everyone there.
Coffee pods guilt free
Did you know what you can actually buy reusable coffee pods for all those pod machines now on the market.
I literally refused to buy one because of all the extra waste they generate.
My mum gave me one however and I just couldn’t bring myself to buy the capsules.
After a bit of research I found reusable ones exist online and after it arrived - in cardboard packaging I haven’t looked back for my morning coffee.
Just fill it up with your favourite ground beans, stick it in the machine and voilà - coffee heaven.
The grounds then go in the compost and you can start the day feeling like a good human.
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