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Thursday, October 07, 2010

Longdendale Siege's dismal protest failure

Longdendale Siege Committee's protest on Wednesday morning was by all accounts a dismal failure (worthy of failblog, hence the picture). But you wouldn't know it if you'd read the new online article that has appeared on the Advertiser website. They put the apparent lack of westbound traffic in evidence yesterday at Tintwistle down to 'a fire near to Sheffield'. (Incidentally, we love the cretinous banner in the middle of the picture which says "The Best HGV Ban is a Bypass" - HGVs are not planned to be banned from the Bypass).

Skip back in time to this time last week, and Siege Chair Mike Flynn and his mouthpiece at the Glossop Chronicle, David Jones, was predicting gridlock in all directions, in particular from Hollingworth to Glossop via Woolley Lane. Yet pictures taken by a contact of ours show quite clearly, no congested traffic along the A57 at Brookfield at 9.14 a.m.



All in all, our contacts tell us that the road was no more congested than it usually is at this time on a weekday morning. The clear implication for the Longdendale Siege Committee is that if they need to set off pedestrian crossings to cause traffic jams then it suggests the jams are not there in the first place. So what exactly are they campaigning for? If the traffic jams do exist at 9.00 a.m. in the morning, then why the need to activate pedestrian crossings? What difference did it make? The evidence suggests none at all.

But what Siege must also explain, is why they are activating pedestrian crossings at Hollingworth and Tintwistle, when the new plans for Bypass 2.0 offer nothing to either of those villages - it is a Bypass of Mottram only.

Siege are threatening to protest again in a similar manner soon. Perhaps, if they have the courage of their convictions, they should stage a sit-down protest to properly stop the traffic - because the evidence suggests that pedestrian crossings being activated don't make that much difference when the traffic is relatively free-flowing anyway.

No Mottram Bypass would like to encourage all those who feel able to contribute to the documentation of Siege's future protests to send us any pictures, films and reports. We are sure there are some people with time on their hands who would be willing to make the effort!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great article on this blog which displays the fact and reality,not the imagination which exists in Mr.Flynn`s nut.
Where was Mr.Flynn hiding for the two years the Public Inquiry was held.
A fact lot he did then for a ByPass,but staggering about with a wooden pole appears to be his latest
claim to fame.

Anonymous said...

Because the Manchester Evening News followed the Tameside Advertiser with its article on the ByPass demonstration ? I then found conflicting reporting when press reporter David Jones gave an alternative slant far more representative of what occured and what comments were made by M Flynn the demonstration organisor.
This is just one example of how the MEN/Advertiser upholds whatever the Seige Committee opinions are regardless of the alternative facts.
MEN Advertiser Quotes by M.Flynn as reported:
"They were all putting their thumbs up and shouting encouragement to us and we got no abuse whatsoever, only support."
"I think it was very successful and we were very pleased with how it came off."
Yet Reporters David Jones referred to M.Flynn stating:
"Only 5 members of the public turned out to support us in Tintwistle which was disappointing."

The MEN would not report the assertion I put to them of biased reporting.
Who can we really trust these days to make the facts known about the Longendale situation?????????????

Children of Lewin said...

Yes, we've seen the Chronic and will be following it up!

Anonymous said...

One banner raises the question of an HGV ban, it would make the villages habitable again no question, and with some traffic restraint the problem would be solved.
But that wouldnt involve trashing the amazing environment of the Longdendale valley, so it would be no good to Mr Flynn and his Labour Tameside pals.