YEP Letters: September 12

Check out today's YEP letters

Prepare for this emerging industry

Jaimes Lewis Moran, Member of Leeds Green Party

Lately there’s been a lot said about electric vehicles.

Historically speaking mainstream car manufacturers have only ever produced electric versions as concepts or one-off gimmicks. They very rarely make electric vehicles (EVs) with genuine interest. That being said, based on my years of research into ‘#ElectricCruiserBicycles’ it would certainly appear that only those who originate as EV manufacturers go forth to produce truly decent and improved models.

It looks like the only way car makers will ever improve their EVs is if they collaborate more with those who know them best, use more open-source data, and lastly drop some proprietary development practices. What worries me above all though, is that there’s very few, if any, educational settings (colleges, schools, etc) where you can actually learn about them. This is a missed opportunity to train and re-skill people for this emerging industry and should be challenged - soon.

‘Ring of steel’ plan for Leeds city centre

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A ‘ring of steel’ is to be created around Leeds city centre in the wake of international terror attacks involving vehicles driving into crowds. Streets such as Briggate and Lands Lane will have remotely controlled lowerable bollards installed as part of a hi-tech system designed to stop unauthorised vehicles. Although measures have already been put in place in Leeds over the past year ram-raiders were twice able to drive onto Briggate in April to target high-end retailer Louis Vuitton. Leeds City Council has been taking advice from both the North East Counter Terrorism Unit and West Yorkshire Police but stressed that this was in response to global threats and not specific intelligence relating to Leeds itself. Details of the new measures for Leeds emerged during the latest meeting of the city council’s Licensing Committee when the issue of security was raised.Here’s what YEP readers had to say about the proposal on social media..

Phil Dyson

Whilst any security is helpful the reality is that there are numerous ways for a terrorist to enter a crowded city centre without using a car or a van.

Are they going to prevent a lunatic with a religious bent driving a vehicle through the crowds walking to Elland Road,Headingley stadium etc.You cannot protect all of the people all of the time.

Steve Hodgson

We have a problem with ram raiders anyway, and not just in the city centre.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I’m surprised that with the council’s intent to improve the footprint as a major shopping and entertainment centre that they haven’t done more of this before.

At the end of the day while we have not had any terrorist attacks we have had ram raids and we need to do something to stop these.

Robert Hattrell

Why do we have to live this way? It’s not right.

Kevin Dransfield

Good idea. Keep the planters. The other bollards could be disguised as street art so we’re not living in concrete barriers. Terrorists change tactics when a defence is put up it’s natural. No defence is perfect so let’s not get carried away with the ring of steel metaphor.

Sarah Jayne

I think this is great and everything, but by publishing this and informing terror groups that these measures will soon be in place, will it not just rush them into potentially doing it sooner now they know? Either way let’s just hope they don’t try anything in Yorkshire.

Sam Hodkin

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Great idea. Anything to mitigate risk and protect innocent people is reassuring. Could terrorists not clone number plates though to trick the ANPR system?

Lee Aaron Camfield

The main precinct past Harvey Nicks, Debenhams etc is just asking for a large vehicle to be driven from top to bottom where McDonald’s is. Despite having those large plant pots placed in the way you can still get a vehicle through.

Andy Baylis

The planters are to slow a large vehicle down...giving that vital extra few seconds to take cover. Trucks have to get down to service the shops. The retractable bollards will be very welcome.

Iain Cliff

It’s a better use of public money than watching two council workers with a van watering the hanging baskets in the village I live. It’s a disgrace.

Martin Hughes

Feels like I’m going back in time...I grew up in Belfast

Andrew Jordan

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Wasted money. There will always be a way to get round it. Spend money on changing minds.

Bring back the good old days?

Alex Gillies, Leeds 14

The world media accuses the UK being slow to react to Hurricane Irma, supplying emergency funding and aid to the disaster areas.

The EU accuses the UK of dragging their heels in what they want from Brexit. Every government department accuses the NHS, rail/road networks, housing and every council in the land, wasting public funding on inadequate decision making on major projects.

If MPs ignored party unity and voted with the best interests of the UK they’d soon repeal the 19,000 EU laws that have entered the UK judiciary in the last 40 years.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Yes, the UK has been slow since the banking crisis, population has been slower by not demanding our PMs and MPs got the proverbial finger out and justified their earnings.

Let’s put some pride back in the UK like the good old days, hard work, low pay, long hours, factory on the doorstep and five deep at the bar at five o’clock.

Thank you for assistance

Mary Nelson, by email

On August 21 at around 2pm I fell from the escalator in St John’s Centre, Leeds.

I would like to thank the gentleman who was trying to save me when I fell on top of him, he has sustained cut to his head and was taken to the LGI about 15 minutes before me.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sorry I did not get his name although I did thank him personally. I hope he is okay and continues to improve. I would also like to thank the three ladies who stayed with me until the ambulance arrived. Once again a big thank you to everyone.

Why shut down city centre?

Liz Goodwill, by email

Re the Sky Ride, I know it may upset people, but has it ever occurred to Leeds City Council that people/buses/businesses are sick to death of having the city centre disrupted by the “minority”? The claim that it brings revenue is well disputed by the businesses affected, the staff trying to get to work and anyone else not involved.

Why when we have many excellent “parks” around the city, do they have to shut the city centre down?

No green bins for packaging

M McGlashan, Headingley

this is addressed to Leeds City Council and my local MP and councillors – I would like to know how much it cost to design, print and distribute the leaflet, posted through our doors this week, which explained about recycling paper and cardboard, by putting it into the green bins.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

An entirely laudable idea but with one flaw – 99 per cent of the green bins have been removed from the houses in this area. This is particularly ironic just now with many new tenants taking up residence.

Many of these new tenants have brought with them numerous items in cardboard packaging. The packaging has now been put into the regular rubbish bins causing the latter to overflow with garbage including food waste.