YEP Letters: October 12

Stop producing so many vehicles

Paul Muller, Wakefield.

IN order to reduce the levels of CO2 and nitric oxide in the world’s atmosphere, we must stop producing so many vehicles.

Nearly every family in the Western world has two or three cars. We must develop many small nuclear power stations throughout the UK because, once they are running, they do not produce any carbon dioxide to cause climate change.

Cameras to check on congestion charges

This week the stark new report from the global scientific authority puts the onus on individuals as well as Governments to take action to avoid disastrous levels of global warming. Spending £13m on cameras to check whether vehicles in Leeds have paid their congestion charge seems a lot for a cash-strapped council which can’t afford to fix all the pot holes. But if they don’t take punitive action can they trust us to take individual responsibility to cut down on emissions? We asked YEP readers for their views and here’s what some of them said on social media..

Nick Appleby

Spending millions narrowing every major road into Leeds city centre is causing a lot more congestion and pollution but surely this isn’t all part of the grand plan to get more money out of a working public that has already been screwed to the bone? Surely not?

Mark Harrison

Nick traffic lights, pelicans, zebras, traffic calming, road narrowing, cycle lanes, roundabouts, everything but the kitchen sink with this lot.

Graham Scargill

Fix the roads, Leeds City Council. It’s a free world. Should be able to drive where you want, any time.

Cherril Cliff

Carbon monoxide fumes are killing Leeds residents. We are one of the most polluted cities in the country.

James Whitley

Leeds City Coucnil have been instructed by the government to implement a zone due to unsafe pollution levels, along with other cities - they would be sued and/or penalised potentially much more than £13m if they didn’t.

This will help ensure effective public transport by disincentivising polluting buses. But granted more should be done, LCC hands are tied as the government says transport is privatised!

Lisa Lambert

Leeds City Council are just after our money all the time. Roads in a shocking state. Empty shops will be the norm because shoppers wouldn’t pay to go into town. White Rose centre, York designer, Monk Cross and soon to be open The Springs all free to park. Why would anyone in their right mind want to pay for the day?

Amy Green

Much better to invest in an underground. Start with one line...then build it up. We know the council has the money.

Paul Spence

How can it be that such decisions are taken on our behalf without consulting the public. I don’t believe there would be a majority consensus in agreement to allow this. Oppose such actions at all costs.

Bernard Hudson

Found out today, we drive a commercial vehicle 30 miles through Leeds and will be charged we think £30 a day, but buses of any age spewing out pollution will be exempt, rules for one not everyone. How do they think small businesses can survive?

Alex Thompson

The simple truth is the whole layout of Leeds, with the M621 practically starting in the middle of Leeds, the inner and outer ring road strangling Leeds, no one will be able to escape the congestion charge without travelling a greater distance to avoid it, thus creating more pollution.

The state of and cost of the the transport system in Leeds doesn’t exactly lend itself to a practical solution. Yet another shortsighted plan by Leeds City Council!

George R Carman

Another reason not to visit this city. They want to spend some money on cleaning the streets, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, the streets are like the tip.

Labour’s plans lack credibility

Bob Watson, Baildon

JOHN McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, says that the Conservative pledge to end austerity “lacks credibility.”

If anything lacks “credibility” it is his own party’s plans, which will result in massive debt, the old story with any Labour government.

Heaven help the country if this hard left group ever get into power.

He went on to state that the Budget “will have to make sure that the NHS is fully funded”. That comment, along with many others, just shows his total lack of reality.

It will always be impossible to “fully fund” the NHS which is a bottomless pit.

No role for fracking

Stewart Arnold, Leader, Yorkshire Party.

THE Yorkshire Party supports the development of an energy policy for Yorkshire that has at its core an ambitious target of renewable energy use and innovative programme of low carbon technology use.

As part of that, we see no role for fracking and we restate our opposition to the extraction of shale gas across Yorkshire.

We want to see a commitment to increase spending on renewable energy. Government investment on green energy has been slashed in the last few years.

With proper investment, Yorkshire can be a major contributor to green technologies.