YEP Letters: August 16

Check out today's YEP letters
Castleford railway station.Castleford railway station.
Castleford railway station.

Town needs some improvements

A D Thornton, Castleford

I have some suggestions as to how to improve Castleford.

Firstly, I would make the bus station bigger to accommodate all the buses. I would modernise the railway station as promised so that people could get on both sides.

I would make some effort to show that this was indeed a Roman settlement.

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The roundabout at Bridge Foot is a bottleneck and needs a new bridge.

On Carlton Street, someone has put five large brown ashtrays at the side of the road. This seems to be an attempt to decorate the town but it only makes it look silly.

Morley needs a proper bus station

S Kavanagh, Leeds 27

Reading the YEP article regarding the suggestion of a transport “hub” for Morley and Public Service Vehicles’ use of Queen Street and Albion Street as suggested is far from ideal.

Many years ago I liaised with the Morley Independent councillors on numerous occasions, suggesting a proper bus station be created in Morley.

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Queen Street, Morley is an extremely busy street, more so when it involves PSVs.

So too is the street alongside Lloyds Bank with many PSV drivers adopting the “I’m bigger than you” attitude.

My discussions were long winded, often without reply to suggestions of a solution and in the end, as it might be imagined, all fizzled out as nobody else appeared to be bothered, including bus companies, the vehicles of which often clog up Queen Street and surrounding areas.

When discussing sites, there were varying excuses put forward but yet if a project were to succeed, whether on green or brown sites, I suggest a way forward would have been secured by either local or government intervention.

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Morley needs a bus station, for the good of local residents and those from further afield.

There are a number of sites in Morley which could be adapted in order to provide a similar facility as can be found in Pudsey, Batley, Dewsbury, Ossett, Wakefield, White Rose etc.

It is appreciated Morley is, to some extent, the centre of PSV activity when travelling to the likes of Leeds, Bradford, Pudsey, Wakefield, Huddersfield etc but to used Queen Street and Albion Street as a bus station is a cop out, especially when other sites are possible and, furthermore, could be more easily accessed by all if a “proper” bus station were created.

To remove short term parking in Queen Street in favour of PSV parking might well inconvenience some people who simply want to visit a bank, buy a sandwich or whatever, is unnecessary and blights the look of Morley.

Devoid of all compassion

Denise Marsden, Cookridge

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Further to Mr Keer’s diatribe in which he castigates the powers-that-be for acknowledging that pensioners all paid into the tax pot when they worked, as everyone does so that it can roll over for other generations in their turn.

Has he considered that perhaps it probably costs more to process “paid-for” bus passes, than the system would subsequently collect in the fees? And as Ms. Webster pointed out, the bus is going anyway, why not make the journey worthwhile? I’m sure the bus driver would agree, how boring to have to drive around a mostly empty vehicle all day, passing most bus stops without stopping.

Are we to assume, therefore, that when Mr Keer himself becomes eligible (if he isn’t already - forgive me, but he does sound somewhat like a grumpy old man) for a bus pass that he will steadfastly always pay his fare when boarding a bus? (Assuming that they are still running. The company may think there isn’t enough demand.)

And is he going to refuse the other “perks” that come with getting old and decrepit, like the free flu jab.

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As for the one-stop passenger, has he thought for a moment, this person may have a bad heart, or is infirm in some other way, and cannot walk far – is that person doomed to be trapped permanently in the house, and in that case will Mr Keer volunteer to go do his shopping, so he doesn’t starve to death?

Or is your correspondent intending never to need a bus pass?

Is he expecting never to suffer from any ailment which needs assistance, believing that he will continue to be youthful, possibly even living for ever, in perfect health and with no body restrictions whatsoever, and with unlimited funds at his disposal?

You could say he would be almost god-like – if he didn’t seem to be devoid of all compassion for everyone else on this planet.

NHS changes are needed

Judy Goodwin, Altofts

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On the news we are once again treated to another NHS bureaucrat complaining that the NHS is in dire need of more money, followed by that old chestnut and an ageing population, thus implying that the old are causing most of the problems.

I have yet to hear one bureaucrat or politician say that over the past 20 years our population has increased by nearly five million with no provisions made to meet this, or did all of these people and their families arrive with private health care?

The NHS, like local government, has been allowed to become an over stuffed paper shuffler’s paradise, cuckoos giving themselves fancy names and payment to match, whilst pushing much needed staff out of the nest and not one politician is brave enough to grasp the nettle and make the changes that are needed.

Constant high pitch noise

Judith Hudson, Pudsey

WHILST I sympathise with C Logan (YEP Letters, August 2) and the noise of garden tools spoiling her peace and quiet in the summer, she should try living in the Lowtown district of Pudsey!

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We have a constant high pitch noise, day and night, from a local factory. Even indoors, with windows shut, it can be heard! The only peace we have is weekend afternoons when the factory is shut.

We and neighbours have been round to the factory - they do not hear it there and it appears the noise is carried on the air waves across to our homes.

LCC Noise Nuisance Department are investigating and we are keeping personal records of times and dates.

Everything takes time and in the meantime our quality of life is spoiled.

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I shouldn’t have to wear ear-plugs and take sleeping tablets at night to get some peace!

All we want is to enjoy our own property and garden.

‘Super Pets’ competition

Rachel Sutherland, Education Programme Manager, PDSA

Leading vet charity, PDSA, is currently inviting young people to enter their ‘Super Pets’ photo competition and be in with a chance of winning some awesome prizes, including a VIP tour of one of their pet hospitals and a professional photo shoot with their pet.

The competition is free to enter and open to anyone aged 16 or under.

There are three categories for entries; Under 10s, 10-13 and 14-16. Photos should be emailed to [email protected] with ‘Pet Photo Competition 2016’ in the subject header, along with the child’s full name and date of birth.

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Winning entries will be chosen by celebrity vet and PDSA supporter, Steve Leonard.

The closing date for entries is Friday September 9, 2016.

Living beyond our means

A Hague, Leeds 9

WHAT is going on in this mad world of ours?

I read that the bank rate might drop to negative and we might have to pay to put our money in a bank, yet moneylenders still charge us 29.5 per cent.

We must be still living far beyond our means as quantitative easing by our banks is still many billions a month making our pound worth almost nothing, yet our rich seem to be getting richer every year.

Argentina here we come.