YEP Letters: February 10

Bus services in city need to be diversified

Mel Haigh, Leeds 14

I’ve exchanged numerous communications with First regarding the service they provide in Leeds and have long called it the worst in the entire United Kingdom.

That’s not an exaggeration, I’ve worked in most major cities in this country and never come across any thing that’s been anywhere near as bad.

In most of those communications, I’ve aired the opinion that it’s because they have no competition and that they don’t consider that they are accountable to anybody but their share holders.

These are the two major reasons why the service they provide is so bad, although how or why they’ve been allowed to get away with it for such a long time is a mystery.

Quite frankly I’m astonished that the people who’ve lived in this city all their lives have tolerated it for so long.

First seem unwilling or unable to accept that they are providing a public service, if ever there was a reason to take things back into public ownership First provide a shining example of it, the amount of things wrong with the service would surely not be tolerated if they were accountable to a public body.

I’ve lost count of the amount of money I’ve had to spend when one of their early morning services has not turned up, turned up late, or some other such thing has happened to it, that’s the reason I stopped catching First buses early in the morning.

All the things I’ve encountered that are wrong with the service are far too numerous to list here, another major factor though is surely that the person in charge of their route planning strategy needs to get around the city a bit more and diversify the services.

How can you have only one bus to some locations, but more than you can shake a pointed stick at to others?

Buses that connected areas of Leeds to other areas apart from Seacroft, Pudsey or Cross Gates would be a step in the right direction as far as I’m concerned.

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Cycle highway ‘nightmare’

D S Boyes, Leeds 13

Many Leeds residents and even some in Bradford must wonder when the ongoing nightmare of the cycle super highway will ever end, or, more to the point, what will the ultimate consequences be for the many households and business premises along its route.

Bradford Road Stanningley now under excavation on both sides, which will result in it being considerably narrowed, making it more difficult for the huge Leeds and Bradford number 72 service ‘bendy’ buses to negotiate.

Not only that problem, but also one of deliveries to businesses along that route being made more difficult. Worse though is the postition of some homes there, whose permit only parking bays outside the front door will disappear.

What will they do? Get on their bike?

On top of this, there will inevitably be masses of new double yellow lines and other restrictions on both parking and loading to make life infinitely more difficult.

This vanity project is likely to become an embarrassing white elephant and monument to local authority profligacy. Especially when you think how much good might have been done for Leeds with that money.

New cemetery is needed

S Thompson, Leeds 15

RE Lawnswood Cemetery, Leeds needs a new, larger cemetery.

Having been to funerals where we had to go into the overflow room and watch a TV screen, where people have to stand in the aisles and sometimes outside in the cold and rain to hear the service.

This is very undignified for everyone, being rushed in and out and inadequate parking for mourners.

A cemetery is already being used on the junction of Thorner/A64 York Road - maybe one could be built there for east Leeds?

Drop unfair proposals

Iain Gillespie, Churwell

Ours is supposedly the oldest parliamentary democracy in the world, and we talk often of our British belief in fair play.

Yet with the Trade Union Bill, this Government are putting these values at risk.

We’ve already seen them make it harder to register to vote, soon they will redraw the Parliamentary map in a way that benefits the Conservative Party.

Furthermore, hidden in the Trade Union Bill is a clause that is deliberately designed to cut off trade unions’ financial support for the Labour Party - while doing nothing to limit the hedge funds and millionaires that support the Tories.

They’re attacking democracy by silencing opposition, whether it’s from unions, campaigners, or charities; and by changing the rules to make it harder for anyone else to win an election.

As the House of Lords debate the Bill over the next weeks, I can only hope the Government will take the opportunity to embody the values of democracy and decency they claim to support, and drop these unfair proposals.