AIBU to have no sympathy for Heathrow runway debates

[NotForSale]

As the population increases surely another runway is needed to fulfil demand?
The biggest/ only argument I've seen against another runway is noise pollution. Is it just me or is that a 1st world problem? There's people who live in slums/ Calais camps/ overcrowding/ damp/ desperate poverty and quite frankly a bit of extra noise is the least of their worries.

I would rather stop expanding the fucking airports - why do so many people need to be jetting about fucking up the atmosphere? Why is this never even questioned?

This.

It's such a ridiculous decision the only basis I can think of for the government making it is because for some reason they don't actually want another runway anywhere and know they'll never get this one through all the legal challenges. The other big European hubs often have more than three runways so what happens if a fourth one is needed (exp as the close proximity to residential areas means loads of flight restrictions and so inefficient use of the existing runways). How would that be built? Air pollution is already too high but heigh-ho, let's just assume technology will sort it out (providing the airlines have actually bought these super new planes).

Gatwick and investing in infrastructure to improve connections would have made so much more sense. Even "Boris Island" might have squeaked ahead of this nonsense.

Why do we have to keep adding capacity?

Last thing we (as in the planet) should do is encourage more air travel.

And onshore wind is useless in the uk. Wrong geography.

Stuff the planet, eh?

IYABU I cannot understand how this is not the solution being offered;

The freight flights could be transferred to Manston which would
a) Create much needed local jobs in a very deprived area (Manston was shut down 3 years ago and most of the local population actively want it to be re-opened)
b) Create extra capacity for passenger flights at Heathrow.
c) Not devastate an already over-crowded part of London.

Clearly OP doesn't live in harmondsworth. I know people who do. Wish I could be more shocked... goliath won, whoever he may be. OP your post is misguided and insensitive.

"1st word problem", such a dismissively lazy expression. It makes you sound like an idiot frankly.

There are plenty of arguments against the Heathrow expansion: air pollution in west London, noise pollution, traffic on the west side of the M25 that is already at full capacity, thousands of people's homes flattened, ... none of this count?

Most freight is transported in the hold of passenger flights so it's not as simple as splitting types of flight across freight/human cargo.

OP the runway is just one of the problems of overpopulation. Though I think politicians will kick that one into the long grass forever....

I don't get why Heathrow was chosen when Gatwick seemed to want it????
It's like pissing hs2. I don't get whose making these decisions and what they know about the future that I don't?

YABU - and when they knock down your house, and your whole village and all your friends have to move - but not yet because no-one will buy your house - then you'll be laughing about it of course.

Such a first world problem - I'm sure most people on here including you would be totally unworried by the impact on your roads, views, homes, sleep, air quality, children's health etc. First world indeed. Now what shall I have for tea?

Goady thread to people who are facing many years of real difficulty with this decision. And if you actually stopped to think about it for a minute you might have a bit more sensitivity.

I dont get why people buy house in airport areas and then complain when their is aeroplanes flying overhead.

Unimaginative wank. You are being fucking selfish if you think it's no big deal.
😖

"I dont get why people buy house in airport areas and then complain when their is aeroplanes flying overhead."

Housing near London is really expensive. People are desperate for affordable housing.

I think that expanding Heathrow is nuts.

I don't see the point in adding to the noise and traffic in an area which already has so much. Also there are other areas more in need of the jobs that will be created.

Agree it should be further North to help make the country less London-centric and spread prosperity

"I dont get why people buy house in airport areas and then complain when their is aeroplanes flying overhead."

They are not complaining about planes flying - as you well know.

They complain when that noise is doubled or tripled. They complain about other things that they hadn't bargained for like a massive increase in traffic. Or compulsory purchase of their home. Some of these people have lived here for many, many years. The airport has expanded hugely in that time.

I am sure if you lived near a road you would complain if that road was suddenly turned into a six-lane motorway. Or if you bought a house next to a shop - that suddenly became a mega Tesco complete with 24hour customers and a car park.

Aside from that - the decision is mad for many reasons - as stated clearly by other posters.

I work at Heathrow and I think a third runway is a ridiculous idea. The motorways and other transport feeders cannot cope with getting passengers in for two runways. Gatwick is a hopeless place to get to unless you live South of London, so would be useless to most of the country. Plus a lot of airports in the Midlands/North/Scotland aren't running at full capacity. There would be much more sense in making full use of them before expanding a London area. Heck, isn't expanding areas in the North one of the government's plans? So why expand Heathrow? Because big companies already here want it (and everything else) in London and they run the government.

YABU

Thousands are already dying prematurely because of air pollution. How many more do you want to die? Or is dying a preventable premature death a 'first world problem'?

Agree it should be further North to help make the country less London-centric and spread prosperity

If the Northern airports are already under-utilised what is the point in expanding them? Unless the perception (especially outside of the UK) that London is the place to be within the UK is changed the airport capacity needs to be expanded near London. Since Brexit the worldwide perception of the UK is even more important.

I would rather stop expanding the fucking airports - why do so many people need to be jetting about fucking up the atmosphere? Why is this never even questioned?

This.

They come back to it because it if their short term thinking and lack of imagination.
Also because Heathrow is a known brand, so they bank on that.

Governments aren't always right.
Alastair Campbell just had a bit of a mea culpa moment in his memoirs about lots of what the Blair government decided and did.

I dont get why people buy house in airport areas and then complain when their is aeroplanes flying overhead.

Have you read anything that people have written? Practically the entire of London is an 'airport area'.