Daventry Politicos and Media Promote Pods That Citizens Didn't Ask For

The Daventry Express:

Pods prove a huge hit

By Alice Dyer

MORE than a 1,000 people visited an event to get a glimpse of Daventry's possible future.

The event, which ended on Friday, showcased Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) vehicles, which ran along the cycle path in Eastern Way.

Chris Millar, leader of Daventry District Council, said: “The showcase was a success. Most people, especially the younger ones, loved the concept.

“It was a great success in raising the profile for what Daventry is working to achieve and it’s alerted people to the positives before us.”

Members of the public, local school pupils, businesses, organisations and media from across the world all visited the site to see the driverless vehicles in action and some were given a ride in them.

If plans are given the go-ahead, an £80 million project could be launched to install a state-of-the-art PRT system across Daventry to replace the existing bus network.

It is hoped the scheme will ease congestion and save parking spaces with the town’s population set to increases to 40,000 by 2021.

Cllr Millar added: “The next stage will be looking towards the pilot scheme [which would run from the town centre to Middlemore] in two years time and getting the funding for it.”

... another letter dismissive of Cllr Millar's pod proposal:

Make more of what we have

AS TWO long-serving members of the Grange Residents' Association, we are becoming increasingly concerned with the health and welfare of council leader Chris Millar.

He appears to be suffering from delusions if he believes that the Daventry people share his vision of what we want for the future.

He also appears to be suffering with amnesia, as the promises he made to this estate about investment have been forgotten.
Thereby, the reason for this letter asks one question.

If this vision for Daventry's future, which nobody appears to want, can be achieved with investment, why can't reality come first?

Invest now in what you've got. Bring this estate, and others, up to the 21st century standard we, the people of Daventry, deserve.

Ann Smith (chairman) and M J Coomber (secretary)
Grange Residents' Association

The same old story... Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Duluth, Austin, Denver, Cincinnati, Seattle... citizens ask for a little improvement in their living conditions and the politicians like Rep. Mark Olson, Dean Zimmermann, Phil Krinkie and Michele Bachmann tell them to wait for pods in the sky by and by.