Sir, Hilary Charles, co-convener of the Perth Branch of the Scottish Green Party, is not cynical in her comments regarding the new vehicle access to Gleneagles Station. Only badly informed and in conflict with her political party.
Residents of this area have been campaigning for a very long time to have improvements made to the vehicle access and exit at this station due to the volume of traffic on the A9, the lack of any slip-road facilities and the number of fatal accidents around this location.
Yes, the 2014 Ryder Cup has had a significant influence on Network Rail, Perth and Kinross Council and Transport Scotland with regard to this matter, and all are to be congratulated for working together to provide a lasting solution to the problem and for sharing the costs.
A further access improvement will be the pedestrian footbridge over the A9 that will allow the golfing enthusiasts to get onto the course safely and without the need for further transport.
The long-term benefit to the residents will remove the need for using a dangerous junction to get to Gleneagles Station with many travellers and commuters using the footbridge while those from locations other than Auchterarder will still have to use cars.
On week-days the current car park is full and vehicles are parked down the access road so there is clear evidence that this station is much better used than Ms. Charles suggests.
As for commuters driving to Dunblane or Stirling, I am shocked that an office-bearer of a branch of the Scottish Green Party should even suggest such a waste of fossil fuels.
As for Ms Charles’ comments about disabled access/pram access, security and safe parking, these are all addressed in the planning application and will help bring this station up to acceptable standards for use by all travellers.
Colin Young. Meadowland, Dunning.
Walking our way to health
Sir, The article in the Courier (December 26) about walking and taking to the great outdoors as advocated by Dr Andrew Murray emphasised the great health benefits of walking.
Dr Murray is a reknowned endurance runner but I am sure he would have been impressed by the exploits of a man from Courier country the celebrated endurance walker Captain Robert Barclay who in 1808 won a bet that he could walk 1000 miles in 1000 hours for a 1000 guineas.
As we take our holiday strolls remember this great Scot who walked one mile every hour for 42 days! No modern sports shoes, no dietician to advise him, no experts on sleep deprivation present. All he had was a butler to do all the preparations each day.
What this feat shows is incredible fitness and willpower aided by the lure of winning an “impossible” bet. He lost two stones in weight during the event and shortly after was off to France to fight in the Napoleonic wars.
Dr Murray advises: “30 minutes of walking every day gives more protection against death than any medication.”
I wish the Scottish Government well in their attempts to get our nation fitter and healthier and save the health service millions of pounds.
Philip Kearns. 47 Grove Road, Dundee.
Question still not answered
Sir I do not need a lesson in history from GeorgeCormack (Heath signed us up to it, Letters December 8). At the age of 65 I am well aware that an English Tory PM sold Scotland’s fishing rights to the EU.
This was another example of the contempt that every English government since that unholy alliance of union has shown the Scottish people. However, referring to my original letter, George Cormack has either misconstrued or not understood my question.
I did not ask how we could stop the theft of Scottish fish. I asked what the difference was between Scotland being powerless as a separate nation in the EU and being powerless to stop the theft of Scottish fish.
As no one seems able or willing to answer me might I suggest that the only way to determine our own future is to vote yes in the referendum.
Peter Bell. Muirton Road, Arbroath.
Windfarm life “shortened”
Sir, The Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) has just published a new study, The Performance of Wind Farms in the UK and Denmark, showing that the economic life of onshore wind turbines is between 10 and 15 years not the 20 to 25 projected by the wind industry and used for government projections.
The work was conducted by one of the UK’s leading energy and environmental economists, ProfessorGordon Hughes of theUniversity of Edinburgh.
It was found that by 10 years of age the contribution of an average UK windfarm to meeting electricity demand has declined by a third. This has serious cost implications for the electricity consumer.
A previous report byProfessor Hughes found that the actual savings of CO2 by wind turbines were “ negligible to zero”.
The only reason for wind turbines was to reduce CO2, not to make foreign developers and UK landowners rich at the expense of electricity consumers.
Clark Cross. 138 Springfield Road, Linlithgow.