Who Really Needs More Runways?
There is a bit of an ongoing tiff right now about the expansion of London’s Heathrow airport with an additional runway. Those of you who have experienced Heathrow will know that the airport in itself is one of the strongest arguments ever for not flying, however, UK aviation continues to grow at a substantial rate.
Substantial enough to encourage green activists to climb atop a plane at Heathrow airport last week, and to climb on to the roof of the Houses of Parliament, unfurling banners protesting at the airport expansion.
Strong words
Strong words have been spoken on both sides of the debate. London Mayor Ken
Livingstone claims that the case for expanding Heathrow has yet to be made on either environmental or economic grounds and has called for an expansion of rail travel at the expense of short haul flights, according to Britain’s Daily Telegraph.
WWF campaigner Pete Lockley told Reuters: "Aviation accounts for about 13 percent of Britain’s climate impact. That percentage will rise very sharply as the number of flights doubles and efforts are made to cut emissions elsewhere."
At the same time, an aviation industry spokesman has come up with a different twist on the argument: "Aviation is responsible for two per cent of global carbon emissions and is growing at a slower global rate than power generation and industry. Heathrow’s expansion is of national importance if jobs are to be safeguarded and created, both locally as well as in the City and across the country."
Meanwhile, The British Government have said very little, being obviously confused about how they will meet their Co2 emissions targets without upsetting at a large percentage of the population.
Another option?
It has been observed, during frequent trips through London’s airports during the past 10 years, that the increase in travellers is being fuelled not by business, but by cheap leisure travel. A resident of any of the cultural capitals of Europe will attest that ever since airlines worked out how to fly you from London to Prague for less than the cost of an evening in a Pizza Hut, many European cities have been overrun by groups of Britons on stag weekends.
A Saturday evening in the centre of many European destinations has become indistinguishable from an evening in the average British city centre, resembling a larger fuelled battle zone, and gigantic outdoor public toilet all in one.
The solution may be to advertise overseas weekend rail travel instead, an option which could have manifold advantages; The EuroTunnel might become profitable from the additional traffic and trains could have special weekend boozer carriages, selling cheap alcohol and encouraging urination in corridors.
To keep things even more simple, trains could transport weekend revelers to a purpose built village in sparsely populated Northern France or Belgium. Once there the drinking tourists would be free to vomit in the streets, loose their passports and be arrested just as they would in any other city. It’s unlikely they will spot the difference.
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What a dismal picture you paint.. just as i was to write about American manners vs British behavior overseas.
better contain them all on separate islands. no more runways, quick shut down the tunnels and highways..
i’ll find other means to transport business, that’s what clean and efficient telecommunications are for.