Prince Charles Rolls Into Edinburgh Waverley In Biofuel Train

Submitted by edg on Tue, 7 Sep '10 11.20am

Prince Charles launched his START initiative tour, aimed at encouraging people to lead more sustainable lives, in Scotland yesterday.

The Duke of Rothesay, as he is also known in Scotland, sat on a collapsible red commuter bike, and donated a pair of green cord trousers to a Marks and Spencer Oxfam stall at Glasgow Central train station. Before departing for Edinburgh Waverley on the Royal train, which runs on used cooking oil, he gave a speech from the station platform and launched the “START cycling challenge” race from Glasgow to Edinburgh.

“What I hope to get across, to as many people as possible, is that however awful a predicament we face with climate change and the unsustainable use of the natural resources that keep us all alive, we aren't going to get anywhere by telling everyone what they need to stop doing."

“There's been quite enough of that in recent years and we all know what the reaction is."

“So this week is going to be about the things that we can all start doing for our own benefit, for the benefit of everyone who shares this planet with us and for the benefit of our children and their children too.

The bill for the 5-day tour is reportedly £50,000. There's a video of his speech here

After chugging into Edinburgh on his biofuel train, Prince Charles and his entourage visited the launch of START’s Sustainable Scotland Festival in St. Andrew Square, where he met with local organic food producers, energy providers, bespoke local fashion companies and the public.

He looked round the stalls and bought a brown felt hat for his wife The Duchess of Cornwall from the Fabhatrix stall.

The Duke also spoke with Jim Little, of Caurnie Soaperie, based in Kirkintilloch. Mr Little said: “Our soap is long-lasting but it's not as long-lasting as the Monarchy."

"He (His Royal Highness) sticks his neck out for a true cause that he really believes in. I think you can tell he's interested."

Prince Charles concluded his visit by officially opening the Start Living shop in St. James’s Shopping Centre.

The shop offers information on sustainable living, where members of the public can go for advice.

Following his visit to Edinburgh in his Biofuel Train, I wonder if the City Council is lining up the Prince to ride in the first tram to run as part of the new "trams project" ?   It would be an interesting thought, but with the project seeming to be slipping so far behind it would be impossible to put in the Prince's diary.

But all the talk about pollution seems to have suddenly made the City Councillors aware of their personal responsibility for voting through changes, which would hugely increase the pollution levels right along the tram route through the City and down to Leith.   The Council's own plans indicate areas of increased pollution, but this does not seem to have been made clear to the individual Councillors who are now begining to question their own liability for the decisions they take.   This was brought home very forcibly when a meeting on 21st September of the Transport, Infrastructure and Environment Committee of the Council delayed further consideration of the Transport Regulation Orders for the trams, in order for "further Training" of Councillors in the legal aspects of the process.

It seems as though the lawyers are running the Council and most parts of the trams project which is deeply mired in disputes with the main contractors.   With a minimum of £90 million to save - even before any imposed cuts - the Council are holding a very expensive baby that they really cannot afford to keep!