YEP Letters: October 27

Looking at ways to cut city’s pollution levels

Experts will brainstorm ideas and come up with plans on how to tackle air pollution in Leeds during a conference this week. Leeds Climathon is taking place at Munro House on the corner of Duke Street and York Street. Organisers say that Leeds is the third worst polluted city in the UK with nearly 700 people expected to die in the area this year from illnesses related to it. We asked YEP readers for their views and here’s what some said on social media..

Simon Lee Fawcett

Three simple ways to cut pollution.

1) Between the hours of 11pm and 5am turn of all traffic lights where possible, allowing for free flowing traffic for 25% of the day. It probably wouldn’t be possible to turn everyone off but even turning of 75% would massively decrease pollution.

2) All traffic lights to be operated by sensors NOT timers! Again by being sensor activated this means nobody has to sit at any traffic lights unnecessarily when the lights change and there is NO traffic waiting to drive.

3) Offer an incentivised scrappage scheme to get the oldest polluting vehicles off the roads.

Simon Finley

Build a tram system...no, build a trolley bus system...no, build a local train system with more stations? Build more bus lanes (not guided bus lanes)? Build a bike friendly cycle lane system using the canals, rivers, parks, disused railway lines and the existing bridleways. Charge ever increasing car parking charges and provide clean cheap public transport. Stop wasting money on conversions, studies and consultants and get on with it!

Steve Kilburn

Perhaps a mass transport system so people don’t have to drive into the city?

Handy Wahsner

I also very much look forward therefore to hearing all the fantastic ideas and innovations that come out of this excellent event - as long as that doesn’t mean taxing vehicles for the pleasure of using the roads we’ve already paid for.

John Mace

Enforce the speed limit on the M621. Mass tree planting scheme. Electric charging points imposed on all new build construction.

Martin Walker

Hydrogen fuel cells. More trees. Better electro-magnetic rapid transit systems. Stop cars in the city centre. Stop diesel buses.

Murray Craigen

Hydrogen on demand kits on cars. Switch to hydrogen buses. Lorries should switch to hydrogen on demand kits or go full hydrogen. Guess what? Very low emissions, which don’t cost a fortune. Available now.

Robin Parsons

Build more park and rides. Take out the speed bumps. Organise road works better so that the roads are clear and not being worked on every other month.

Ben Kilbride

1. Build a rapid transport system. 2. Close off certain roads to cars. 3. Build more cycle lanes. 4. Have bike hiring scheme similar to London and Manchester. 4. More green spaces in the city. It’s not rocket science but our council seems to think it is for some reason.

Liam Marriott

Get rid of speed bumps and potholes, constant braking and accelerating for both increases emissions massively.

Up to 12 million drivers a year are receiving penalty notices for offences ranging from speeding to stopping in a bus lane. A new report by the RAC Foundation has found that as many as one in three of Britain’s 40 million drivers could be receiving a penalty annually. The figures were obtained by studying data from police forces across England and Wales for the 12 months from March 2015. They show that between Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) and Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) – criminal and civil charges respectively – a charge is issued on average every 2.5 seconds. We asked YEP readers for their opinions and here’s what some of them said on social media..

Trevor Davies

No fines or points if you don’t speed. Overtaken by an idiot doing approx 85 plus in pouring rain, loads of spray, went past him as he exited into a service area 10 miles later! What’s the point?

Anthony Mcgowan

You have to blame the manufacture of cars, they build cars that can do over 100mph, why sell us a product if we cannot use it to its full potential? It is like buying an oven and just using the grill!

David Morby

No problem with speed control. However, I might challenge whether the cameras are strategically placed for safety and accident reduction or best income generation options?

Robert Smith

No need to speed on the motorway and if the revenue from tickets helps boost other depleted services we wouldn’t get without it - good!

Martin Walker

If people can’t keep to the speed limit, they should be caught by whatever means. Especially where there are black spots or schools. There’s too many drivers think they’re immune to traffic laws.

Casey Perrow

Need cameras for those who use middle lane on motorway and people that pull out into you, or right in front of you and slow you down when you’re doing speed limit. They’re just as dangerous if not worse than speeders if you ask me.

Steve Rayne

This will be the people who don’t understand the concept of average speed you see racing up to each camera, slowing down, then speeding off to the next one

Bill Vincent

Should put them up in Sherburn in Elmet, the 20 mph posting is a joke as there are no police to enforce speeding in the village.