The new week begins with letters discussing Tay road bridge maintenance, an eyesore in Dundee, Latin, and a lack of tolerance and respect at the TUC.
Turn tide on road bridge navigation profligacy Sir,-I was concerned to read that the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board is to consider spending between £19 million and £32 million on protecting the navigation span piers against ship collision, after “navigation simulation tests” have been carried out.
The fact that a risk exists is because of the high speed of the vessels as they negotiate the navigation spans.
At such a speed, a collision could cause structural damage. Vessels travelling to Perth head upstream on the flood tide, not only to aid their own progress but also to ensure sufficient draft in the shallower reaches of the river at Perth and Newburgh.
For commercial reasons speed is of the essence. They make the journey upstream on the one tide. Similarly, the reverse is true for the return journey as the tide starts to ebb.
Unfortunately, this means that the tide hurries them through the bridge on both legs of their journey.
The ships could safely go through at much slower speeds if they sailed against the tide. The risk of collision would, therefore, be reduced considerably.
Going against the tide would, however, necessitate anchoring upstream somewhere, to await the turning tide on the downward journey, and to await the necessary high tide on the upward trip. Commercially this idea may not look attractive but when set against the possible £19 million to £32 million to be spent, it should certainly be considered.
Incidentally, I wonder whether the rail authorities will do, or have done, similar risk assessments.
John Shiels.8 Tay Street,Newport-on-Tay.
Demolish student flats
Sir,-Abertay University’s newly completed residences in central Dundee have been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons. What is not receiving publicity, however, is the disgraceful condition of the residences which were replaced.
Former Hillside Flats in the west end were put on the market for sale as a potential housing site at a time coinciding with the global financial meltdown.
Unsurprisingly, the owners have yet to achieve a sale. Consequently, the flats have come under consistent attack from vandals and the patience of the police must be wearing thin.
Add to this that the garden at the former caretaker’s bungalow has been tended to just once this growing season and you can imagine it is an unpleasant neighbour.
This building is beyond economic repair and will essentially have to be demolished.
Any housebuilder doing its sums in calculating the price to pay for the site will deduct the cost of demolition, so it will eventually be a cost to the university.
Clearly, Abertay is trying to avoid paying for this directly. Contrast this to Guide Dogs for the Blind who took the view their redundant facility in Forfar was a potential danger and undertook demolition themselves.
Abertay University spat out the proverbial dummy when they were struggling to obtain planning permission from Dundee City Council and threatened to relocate elsewhere.
Perhaps it is about time the city looked to the university to accept some social responsibility in return and dig into its coffers and demolish this eyesore before someone is injured.
Derek Gore.27 Dalrymple Street.Dundee.
Ex mea sententia
Sir,-It was good to see the erudition of your leader writer on display in Friday’s editorial comment on Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France, and his decision to expel Roma people from France.
Once-familiar Latin phrases are rarely used in the broadsheet newspapers nowadays and, when one is, the reader’s intelligence is usually insulted by giving a translation in brackets after it.
However, I am not convinced that, in this instance, the most apposite expression has been chosen.
Casus belli, as I am sure the writer will know, means the occurrence of war/fight.
Wouldn’t causa belli, the cause of the war/fight, have been a better choice?
Monique S. Sanders.Giffordtown,Ladybank.
Unions need inspiring leaders
Sir,-Most people could think of 101 reasons why the Trades Union Congress should not have invited the governor of the Bank of England to address its conference. But since it did issue an invitation to Mervyn King to talk about the banking crisis and the recession, it ought to have ensured he was treated with courtesy (September 16).
The Rail, Maritime and Transport delegation chose to walk out at the start of his speech. It was a black day for keeping the traditions of tolerance and respect within the trade union movement.
The attitude of the RMT was inexplicable. Surely the role of any trade union is to listen to those with whom they profoundly disagree and then put the best case for their members. Unions will need to show leadership if they are to help those they represent through the coming troubles.
Bob Taylor.24 Shiel Court,Glenrothes.
Common sense interpretation
Sir,-George Burton (September 17) asks me to distinguish between members of our society who are harmonious and those who are not.
A drunken oaf fighting in the street after closing time is not harmonious, while a doctor and teacher who contribute to our health and learning are harmonious.
They are also productive.
I do not suggest that one person’s life is worth more than that of another, preferring to leave that decision to the common sense of others.
Malcolm Parkin.15 Gamekeepers Road,Kinnesswood,Kinross.
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