UK: £100bn infrastructure 'modernisation' announced - Polidicks

[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23074245[/url] [quote]Plans for a £100bn modernisation of the UK's infrastructure, including new homes, road repairs and improved flood protection, have been announced. The package, of which £50bn will come in 2015-16, is also aimed at boosting new sources of energy like shale gas. But Labour said projects must start now and capital investment in the engine of the economy was actually falling.[/quote] [quote]The main funding commitments include: • £3bn to build 165,000 new affordable homes • £28bn for road improvements, including £10bn for essential maintenance • £10bn to clear a "backlog" of school building repairs • 850 miles of railway to be electrified as part of £30bn rail investment • £250m for extended super-fast broadband to rural areas • £370m for flood defences • Agreement with industry to provide affordable insurance for flood-hit homes • £800m extra funding for Green Investment Bank • £150m for health research including into dementia • £100m for a new prison in Wales[/quote]

At least it's not more cuts.

[quote]850 miles of railway to be electrified as part of £30bn rail investment[/quote] Can't wait for it to be areas around London and just be a waste of time effort and energy.

[quote]• Agreement with industry to provide affordable insurance for flood-hit homes[/quote] My grandmas town isn't exactly super flood prone, but a couple of years ago it was hit by a massive flood causing tens of millions worth of damage, first flood in decades. After that literally nobody could afford house insurance even though the area isnt considered a high flood risk, they hiked the prices up by multiples of 5-10x.

I bet the roads will still suck dick after every winter.

[QUOTE]850 miles of railway to be electrified as part of £30bn rail investment[/QUOTE] Calling it now this does nothing and the rail system will still be overpriced and unreliable.

[quote]• £100m for a new prison in Wales[/quote] Can't they just put all the sheep in a pen?

[QUOTE=RainbowStalin;41209744]Calling it now this does nothing and the rail system will still be overpriced and unreliable.[/QUOTE] The rail system is overpriced due to lack of regulation. This is why off-peak fares are like half the price of standard fares, because those are regulated by the government. The rail system is effectively a monopoly since people can't compete with it for transport and are essentially forced to use it, the price is increasingly hiked up by the companies and nothing is done about it. Really it's about high time the government put some pressure on them and told them to stop fucking around.

[QUOTE=Ereunity;41209775]The rail system is overpriced due to lack of regulation. This is why off-peak fares are like half the price of standard fares, because those are regulated by the government. The rail system is effectively a monopoly since people can't compete with it for transport and are essentially forced to use it, the price is increasingly hiked up by the companies and nothing is done about it. Really it's about high time the government put some pressure on them and told them to stop fucking around.[/QUOTE] The rail system's beyond a joke, we pay pretty much double what you would pay on the continent for a worse service.

The housing investment is a start, but we still need more. I wish more of the money spent on the railways went towards that, but at least this is something to try and get the economy going.

[QUOTE]The package, of which £50bn will come in 2015-16[/QUOTE] So we won't see any of that money until after the election? How convenient.

[QUOTE=markg06;41209636]Can't wait for it to be areas around London and just be a waste of time effort and energy.[/QUOTE]Most of London's lines are already electrified, fairly sure the only big ones left are [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_Oak_to_Barking_Line]GOBLIN[/url] and [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st-century_modernisation_of_the_Great_Western_Main_Line]GWML.[/url]

[QUOTE]• £250m for extended super-fast broadband to rural areas[/QUOTE] The internet is pretty crappy in many areas of Wales (Even if you're not very far from Cardiff or Swansea!) so I hope we'll get an upgrade from this.

[QUOTE=Aphtonites;41210796]The internet is pretty crappy in many areas of Wales (Even if you're not very far from Cardiff or Swansea!) so I hope we'll get an upgrade from this.[/QUOTE] wow the xboxone's potential market might get bigger! [editline]27th June 2013[/editline] oh wait nevermind they cancelled all that stuff didn't they. shit joke

[QUOTE=bravehat;41209720]I bet the roads will still suck dick after every winter.[/QUOTE] If they are doing it like Surrey council are doing it / have been told to do it then the repaired roads will have 10 year warranties. [url]http://news.surreycc.gov.uk/2013/04/23/pothole-proof-roads-with-a-10-year-warranty/[/url] (You just know the 300 miles are roads leading to their town hall..) [QUOTE=markg06;41209636]Can't wait for it to be areas around London and just be a waste of time effort and energy.[/QUOTE] Is there even any railway in and around London that isn't electrified?

I wonder if they'll fix Sheffield's pot holes yet [IMG]http://news.images.itv.com/image/file/142026/category_image_update_03fa727413804abb_1357218258_9j-4aaqsk.jpeg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/24/article-0-0C932980000005DC-743_306x423.jpg[/IMG] hmm

[QUOTE=matt.ant;41211161]I wonder if they'll fix Sheffield's pot holes yet [IMG]http://news.images.itv.com/image/file/142026/category_image_update_03fa727413804abb_1357218258_9j-4aaqsk.jpeg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/24/article-0-0C932980000005DC-743_306x423.jpg[/IMG] hmm[/QUOTE] They aren't pot holes. Thats simply the road surface falling apart. Around here pot holes are 25cm+ deep and do serious damage to cars.

[QUOTE=Jsm;41211120]If they are doing it like Surrey council are doing it / have been told to do it then the repaired roads will have 10 year warranties. [URL]http://news.surreycc.gov.uk/2013/04/23/pothole-proof-roads-with-a-10-year-warranty/[/URL] (You just know the 300 miles are roads leading to their town hall..) Is there even any railway in and around London that isn't electrified?[/QUOTE] I don't actually know if this money is going to smaller roads, since they normally are funded by councils, which are getting their budgets cut. The improvements sound like they may only include roads which are funded and maintained by the Department of Transport via the Highways Agency. So basically motorways and major A-roads.

• £100m for a new prison in Wales I can design it, i have built awesome prisons in the past in prison architect, most recently i achieved a death rate of just 5 inmates per day, pretty big feat.

[QUOTE=Camundongo;41211234]I don't actually know if this money is going to smaller roads, since they normally are funded by councils, which are getting their budgets cut. The improvements sound like they may only include roads which are funded and maintained by the Department of Transport via the Highways Agency. So basically motorways and major A-roads.[/QUOTE] Oh yeah I know but I am saying if they use the same type of tarmac they might have a [I]slightly[/I] better chance of them not being destroyed by next winter. The reason I mentioned it is because the roads in Surrey are so bad that the 100m they are spending on them was given to the county council by the central government to fix them so perhaps the type of tarmac used is being specified as part of the agreement.

[QUOTE=Jsm;41211280]Oh yeah I know but I am saying if they use the same type of tarmac they might have a [I]slightly[/I] better chance of them not being destroyed by next winter. The reason I mentioned it is because the roads in Surrey are so bad that the 100m they are spending on them was given to the county council by the central government to fix them so perhaps the type of tarmac used is being specified as part of the agreement.[/QUOTE] The warranty idea is a good one, I wish more contracted out services used it or a similar idea.

[QUOTE=Jsm;41211186]They aren't pot holes. Thats simply the road surface falling apart. Around here pot holes are 25cm+ deep and do serious damage to cars.[/QUOTE] Then you have to go out with a ruler and take photos of you measuring it and you can claim (providing they already know about it, else you're getting nothing)

[QUOTE=matt.ant;41211161]I wonder if they'll fix Sheffield's pot holes yet [IMG]http://news.images.itv.com/image/file/142026/category_image_update_03fa727413804abb_1357218258_9j-4aaqsk.jpeg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/24/article-0-0C932980000005DC-743_306x423.jpg[/IMG] hmm[/QUOTE] I would say that's a typical Polish road if I hadn't seen the English car plate on the first pic :v:

Thankfully Edinburgh council will start fixing the roads here in about a year, but I bet Scotland in general barely sees any of this money.

[QUOTE=matt.ant;41211161]I wonder if they'll fix Sheffield's pot holes yet [IMG]http://news.images.itv.com/image/file/142026/category_image_update_03fa727413804abb_1357218258_9j-4aaqsk.jpeg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/24/article-0-0C932980000005DC-743_306x423.jpg[/IMG] hmm[/QUOTE] Jesus that looks terrible I would've not expected that to be anywhere in Great Britain.

[QUOTE=Jessey;41215818]Jesus that looks terrible I would've not expected that to be anywhere in Great Britain.[/QUOTE] That's nothing [img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h0R9o0B4zK0/To2XoUUtriI/AAAAAAAAF4s/5r8zTmtPNLA/s1600/surreysinkhole.jpg[/img] (Okay not strictly a pothole but still...)

[QUOTE=matt.ant;41211161]I wonder if they'll fix Sheffield's pot holes yet [IMG]http://news.images.itv.com/image/file/142026/category_image_update_03fa727413804abb_1357218258_9j-4aaqsk.jpeg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/24/article-0-0C932980000005DC-743_306x423.jpg[/IMG] hmm[/QUOTE] That would murder my little honda holy shit. Bye bye alignment.

Pretty much all the roads are like that in the UK. Where I live, they tend to "fix" that by slapping tarmac over it which just forms another irregularity with the rest of the road by raising it slightly. It's mental trying to ride a motorbike on British roads, especially if it's a smaller bike with smaller wheels.

We need some infrastructure repair as well... [editline]27th June 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=KommradKommisar;41216128]That would murder my little honda holy shit. Bye bye alignment.[/QUOTE] You're Honda? Fuck, that'd be hell on my half-ton pickup and it's designed for rough terrain!

What the hell until now I was under the impression that Western Europe is filled with perfect, maintained roads. Thought only Eastern European drivers have to deal with potholes.