YEP Letters: May 19

I read with disgust and anger your comment today about children having beaten ducks and ducklings to death (YEP, May 17).

I won’t go into the possible causes of their behaviour or an education system that seems to value “diversity and cultural knowledge” over understanding the immediate natural world around us.

That their behaviour is sociopathic needs not stating, perhaps. Nor that their parents have not taught them about kindness or boundaries of acceptable behaviour, perhaps.

They’re the sort who, when they are in their teens, mug elderly people who fought for their freedom to do what they like with impunity.

I was taught, in the late 50s and 60s, that we rely completely on the health and stability of our wildlife population and should protect it (and the flora).

That politicians have apparently voted this week against Liz Truss’s plans (under certain right-wing lobbying) to allow the use of pesticides that kill bees is welcome.

The absence of these insects from our lives would have all sorts of effects.

It’s very simple to look after immediate wildlife. We have a washing up bowl in the back garden filled with water which the birds drink from and have great fun splashing about in.

A simple way of helping them and great fun to watch. Likewise patches of soil with no plants offer a dust bath opportunity which said sparrows also enjoy (before their Sunday night bath).

What horrible children I seem to be surrounded by, sometimes.

Foul language, rude, destructive, no manners. I do hope they aren’t going to become the majority.

Refusal given for good reason

S Sleeman, by email

With regard to the letter from Nick Palin in Tuesday’s YEP, I’ve only one thing to say; would he please read the inspector’s report (he can read a summary of it at www.A660.org) and he will see that the trolleybus project would have been disastrous for everyone in Leeds.

It is important that people know that it was admitted, fairly early on in the inquiry, that the trolleybus scheme would not ease congestion – that was one of the (many) reasons for refusal given by the Inspector and the Department for Transport.

We should be up in arms about it

Margaret Thompson, LS21

I would be very interested to know on what research Nick Palin bases his assertion that “clearly the proposed trolleybus scheme would have eased congestion in the areas concerned”– even NGT didn’t claim this!

The whole affair is a scandal and the taxpayers of Leeds should be up in arms!

Paid employees were claiming not to know what the effect would be and were unable to answer questions from the so called “nimbys”- who, in their own time and at great personal expense, spent hours going through the many, many documents and finding numerous inconsistencies and challenging them.

Why can’t we go underground?

Paul C Thompson, Scarcroft

The trolley bus project has finally been closed. It would have been a disaster, using the already congested roads.

In 1959, at the time of the closure of the tramway system, that, incidentally, used many reserved track areas, now mown grassed areas, there was the idea of an underground system, with the well documented proposed station below City Square.

At the time it was regarded as too expensive, but if it had been combined with the then closing tram system it would have cost a lot less than today.

London started its underground system, albeit in a small way, 150 years ago and it’s still being added to.

Given the Leeds proposals for thousands of new houses, together with the associated population explosion and cars in an already a congested city, is it not time to reconsider an underground system, starting in a small way. It will never be cheaper.

There could be short city centre lines at first that can be extended outwards in future years as funding becomes available. Many large cities abroad already do this.

Or why not take to the water?

James Kirk, by email

I have noticed of late the plethora of mail regarding our transport system, city centre congestion, air quality, etc.

Have we forgotten that a river runs through the very heart of Leeds? The UK has a canal and river system once widely used for the transportation of goods. Can it not be the same for passengers?

How difficult would it be 
to set up a floating bus 
service?

The haulage of light goods would also take away some of the enormous strain our road surfaces endure on a daily basis.

To go a step further, we are an island with a fishing fleet struggling to survive.

Why can’t these trawlers be modified to use our larger river system to ship goods to harbours around the coast and keep fishermen from going out of business.

For centuries the rivers and canals were a lifeline for the population.

With the development of eco-friendly fuels and alternative power sources surely someone must have looked into the possibility of using our greatest natural resource, water!

Younger drivers can be unsafe

Miss Susan Day, Beeston

REGARDING the story ‘Re-test older drivers’ (YEP, April 15). Safety on the road has nothing to do with age.

In Armley last year I was actually knocked down by a car reversing in a car park.

The driver did get out of his car to apologise and make sure I was okay.

He hadn’t seen me so obviously hadn’t looked properly to make sure it was safe to reverse.

This man was not elderly and looked to be in his early 40s.

Accidents do happen, unfortunately, when a driver becomes distracted, whatever their age.

I might add that I am 65, with a clean driving licence and over 30 years’ experience on the road.

As for being re-tested, 
I would like to know how 
some drivers on the road actually pass their driving 
test.

None of these being the so-called elderly.

We are lacking in leadership

Chris Sharp, LS25

Over in the US Hillary Clinton fights it out with Donald Trump. Whoever wins, Lord help America!

Here we have Cameron against Corbyn. Lord help 
us.

There’s not a leader in Europe who could be called a statesman or woman.

Have we ever been so lacking in genuine leaders in the last 30 years ?

Why are gates still locked?

Mrs V Harden, Leeds 10

I am writing to your page to see if I can get some answers from Leeds City Council (I’ve phoned them twice).

My issue is about the main gates at Hunslet Cemetery.

Every Saturday morning they are still locked at 11am.

It’s a struggle for me as I am having trouble with my walking.

My phone calls seem to be ignored.