Another Courier week ends, with letters discussing drivers’ treatment of cyclists, Kirk matters, and the future of the Fife Ness Coastguard station.
Autopilot drivers pose threat to cyclists
Sir, With reference to the letter from Robert Anderson (April 26) regarding the Arbroath to Dundee cycle path, as a fairly regular user of it, commuting to my place of work in Dundee, I agree that it is a great amenity and all cyclists should be encouraged to use it.
I would be reluctant to cycle on the main road given the lack of care and attention that a minority of drivers show. However, I do understand why some cyclists opt at times to do so.
The cycle path is not designed for cyclists who are what I would call serious cyclists. There are numerous twists and turns and, given that the surface is currently covered in winter grit in many places, this makes braking and cornering potentially dangerous as well as the increased risk of punctures which myself and others I know have suffered.
More of concern to me is the implication in Mr Anderson’s letter that car drivers should be able to use the A92 on autopilot without needing to worry about the added distraction of “minor” obstacles such as cyclists.
In fact this implication is probably right given the number of motorists using mobile phones and attending to their appearance while driving.
On a positive note, I would like to acknowledge those drivers in Dundee who do show some consideration to cyclists using the Dundee green cycle route. Quite often these drivers queueing at junctions give way, allowing cyclists to cross the busy roads which the cycle route crosses.
Martin Fox.103 Patrick Allan Fraser Street,Arbroath.
Tensions at cathedral
Sir, The key relationship in a church is the organist-minister and, if that turns sour, the minister is in deep trouble as can be seen in the present barney at Glasgow Cathedral.
I was incredibly lucky to inherit Alex Perry in Broughty Ferry for whom I had a huge affection and professional admiration and we remained as thick as thieves for 35 years.
The Kirk’s job training is extraordinarily perfunctory and it is not emphasised that the organist is your partner and if there is any external criticism, you go in to bat for him.
Having said that, Laurence Whitley is the outstanding preacher of his generation and a gentle soul much loved in earlier posts including assistant at Dundee St Andrew’s Church.
I also served in Glasgow and was well aware that the Cathedral Kirk Session had many very fine people but that it did attract some who would start a fight in an empty room.
(Rev) Dr John Cameron.10 Howard Place,St Andrews.
Kirk writes own doctrine
Sir, The Church of Scotland commission looking into the ordination of homosexuals has finally admitted its Christian philosophy do your own thing, it doesn’t matter if it is contrary to God’s will.
The people of Brechin and Kirriemuir feel the Bible is outdated and has no place in today’s world. Just why a few of them continue to attend church is a mystery. Most seem to feel it is a Sunday morning club, good for a cuppa and a blether, as long as you are not expected to believe in such things as Christ and the resurrection.
Ernest Powrie.26 Sycamore Place,Kirriemuir.
Coalition blunder over Fife Ness
Sir, The annual cost of retaining the Fife Ness Coastguard station is just £40,000. So why does the Tory-Liberal Democrat Coalition think things that cost little, yet supply peace of mind and save so many lives, need to be done away with?
Even in straitened times there is scope for making foolish decisions, where the loss is so much greater than the saving.
It is easy to be lulled into a false sense of security by the fact nothing much seems to happen around Fife Ness in terms of shipping disasters. However, if you are a mariner you will know that the complex tides, combined with shallow reefs, mean the seabed is littered with the wreckage of vessels.
The station guards a wider area than just Fife Ness. There is also the shipping motorway that is the Firth of Forth to consider.
GPS satellites fail from time to time, fogbanks will roll in and, with oil tankers, battleships, ferries and even the Queen Mary 2 heading in and out of the Forth, there is scope for something really bad to happen.
There is a huge battleship off Burntisland called the Campania that sunk when she dragged her anchor and collided with HMS Royal Oak during a squall.
A similar tragedy involving a passenger liner and an oil tanker could easily happen tomorrow. Politicians are well known for mismanaging public money but this decision stands head and shoulders above the rest as sheer short-sighted incompetence.
Iain Mitchell.Hawkhill,Dundee.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL.