This morning our readers discuss cycling, suffering children and politicians.
Britain lags behind Europe on cycle provision Sir, Recent letters about cycling on pavements betray a very British attitude which is decades behind that of our European neighbours.
There, cycling is encouraged by various means designed to provide safe ways for cyclists through cities, towns, and countryside.
In cities and towns, the most common provision is designated lanes on roadways, which do not disappear at bottlenecks in favour of motorised vehicles.
At best, cycle lanes are separated from vehicular traffic.
At traffic lights there will be a separate phase for cyclists in response to a push button request.
Consequently, cycling commuters, shoppers and young children going to school can, and do, make their way safely through heavily trafficked urban areas.
Minimal provision will be the use of pavements with separate lane markings for pedestrians and for cyclists, each type of user respecting others’ territory.
In the countryside there are often cycleways separated from and alongside major roads. In some countries the cycleway, as with the road it accompanies, has right of way over side roads in both town and country.
Attempts by some British authorities to emulate European examples are sadly falling far short of best practice.
There is need for the British public to be educated about common sense cycle provision. A cycling holiday in Europe would be a good way to start.
Geoff Miller.Glebe Cottage,Newtyle.
Get priorities right over cycling
Sir, All over the country we are constantly hearing about how stretched and overworked our public servants are.
The health service is constantly battling budgets, the fire service are fighting site closures and the police are announcing job cuts.
But what are some people demanding? Better policing for our pavements. John Macmillan (January 25) even went to the bother of quoting some spurious section of road-traffic regulations.
I’m not saying it is correct to cycle on the pavement but there has to be more important stuff for the police to concentrate their efforts on at the moment than going about ticking off cyclists.
It must be safer for cyclists to travel on the pavements at the moment anyway due to the large number of potholes they would need to negotiate on our roads.
Stephen Caldwell.31 Bankton Park,Kingskettle.
Children left to suffer
Sir, There were 4000 babies adopted in 1976, but that number dropped to a catastrophic 70 last year as political correctness rendered brain dead our hapless local authorities.
Yet it is not a question of money or lack of families eager to adopt but a system which puts the weird prejudices and fantasies of social workers before the needs of children.
It is clear that social workers are hostile to the very idea of the white middle class being allowed to adopt and prefer to keep black, Asian and mixed-race children in care.
Yet most of the young people I came across in my years as a parish minister who had been raised “in care” were on drugs, lonely, desperate, on the streets or in prison.
This is an utter disgrace as is the fact that one in four families willing to adopt are rejected out of hand at a time when thousands of children are waiting to be adopted.
(Dr) John Cameron.10 Howard Place,St Andrews.
Politicians must share our pain
Sir, The Scottish National Party wants supermarkets and big department stores to pay higher business rate to raise £30 million for local authorities.
Despite protests from businesses, this policy is part of the SNP’s draft budget.
First Minister and SNP leader Alex Salmond insists that those with “the broadest shoulders” should help out at a time of public spending cuts.
I suggest that all politicians, their spin doctors and public-sector workers earning over £50,000 a year have very broad shoulders indeed and should have their salaries cut, their pension contributions raised and their free car parking taken away.
Clark Cross.138 Springfield Road,Linlithgow.
Take pride in allegiance
Sir, Monday, junk-mail day, the usual glossy pamphlets for special offers on double glazing … but wait, what’s this?
A nicely printed, colourful folded leaflet with a smiling photo of a nice young lady wearing a Tory blue scarf, the annual report of an MSP for north-east Scotland.
Must be worth reading but who is she and what political party does she represent?
Anyway to cut a long story short I did eventually find out that she was the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on transport and climate change.
This was hidden away on the very last page of the leaflet.
Nowhere else in the leaflet did she identify herself as a Liberal Democrat. I wonder why?
Is this a taste of things to come in the forthcoming 2011 Scottish Parliament election?
Will candidates be scared to admit their political allegiance.
I hope we do not end up with a rainbow alliance in the Scottish Parliament cabal similar to the many faces of the ruling administration here in Angus.
Please be straight with the electorate.
Bill Crowe.Rosedale Cottage, Rossie Braes,Montrose.
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.