Sir, Regarding Tuesday’s article featuring David Littlejohn, head of planning and regeneration at Perth and Kinross Council, I would point out the port of Perth did not go into “continual decline” when the railways reached Perth.
What they put paid to was the full implementation of Stevenson’s masterplan for the expansion of the harbour facilities and an improved navigation channel in the Tay. The latter part of the 19th century then saw the demise of local shipbuilding in wood and sail.
Later, despite the disruption created by two world conflicts in the first half of the 20th century, which severely curtailed Perth’s maritime trade, the former Perth Town Council set about rebuilding its maritime trade. By the mid-fifties, the harbour showed the green shoots of growth and from there until comparatively recently there was prosperous shipping activity along the Tay, to and from Perth, both in coastwise and Europeantraffic across the North Sea and often beyond.
Having been interested in Perth Harbour and the River Tay for more than 60 years, since being a schoolboy at Perth Academy, I havewitnessed at first hand the growth of trade across the quays at Friarton. The fact that the lower harbour can still handle many of the river sea ships currently engaged in European trading is a tribute to the skill of the river pilots, whose dedication is often underestimated.
Perth’s location, in the heartland of Scotland, is one of its advantages.
John Aitken. 7 Graham Crescent, Montrose.
Pupils’ actions are a problem
Sir, I am one of the objectors you refer to in the article headlined “Speed hump about to slow drivers at danger crossing”, which was in Thursday’s Courier. While I am disappointed this speed hump has been approved, I am happy to accept the matter has gone through the democraticprocess and the public given the chance to object.
I use Grange Road on a regular basis. I travelled this road on Tuesday at around 3.20pm on my way to a dental appointment. I returned about 30 minutes later, around the time Dunfermline High School was coming out. I estimate there were in the region of 30-50 teenage boys and girls walking in the vicinity. Many of them were conducting themselves in a disorderly manner and were pushing and shoving each other into the roadway.
It does not matter what the speed limit is or how many speed humps and warning signs Fife Council puts up. If the students conduct themselves in this manner next to a roadway, it is very likely one of them is going to get very seriously hurt by apassing vehicle.
What are the school, the police and the council doing to prevent this type of behaviour? And why should drivers face more restrictions when, perhaps, the students should be taking responsibility for their own behaviour?
Alastair Macintyre. 18 Webster Place, Rosyth.
Hardly march of progress
Sir, Perth and Kinross Council plans to introduce a road hump on a Kinross street and has asked for residents to submit their views in writing (Thursday’s Courier).
The march of the traffic-calming brigade seems unstoppable. Our councils are reportedly cash-strapped and cannot afford to provide many services, yet they all seem to find money to make drivers’, pedestrians’ and cyclists’ lives more difficult and, strange to say, more dangerous.
Meanwhile, potholes proliferate and councils fall further and further behind with vital road repairs. They can find money for often unnecessary traffic calming on quiet side streets, as here on Kinnoull Hill, Perth, but allow our streets to become downright dangerous as more and more potholes appear and road surfaces crumble, pavements likewise.
Councils are also paying out thousands of pounds in compensation to motorists whose cars have fallen victim to potholes. Would it not be more sensible to keep the roads properly repaired in the first place?
George K. McMillan. 5 Mount Tabor Avenue, Perth.
Give accused anonymity
Sir, I fully agree with Dave Lee Travis’s summary of what he has experienced as two different trials, one by court and the other by media.
The recent examples of high-profile celebrities being prosecuted for historic sex crimes being found not guilty causes me serious concern.
Many celebrities, although vindicated, will have to live with the effects of their reputation being tarnished forever, as many people will apply the unhelpful cliche “no smoke without fire” and that is very unfair.
There needs to be a change in the law so people accused of this type of crime should remain anonymous until after the jury has reached a verdict, to ensure a fair trial for everyone and to stop the accused feeling vilified by the media.
Gordon Kennedy. 117 Simpson Square, Perth.
A US state of mind needed
Sir, Regarding a Scottish currency, surely the answer is obvious: we get in touch with that nice man Barack Obama, to have us adopted into the US as its 51st state and become dollar partners with them. Then, we can thumb our noses at George Osborne. Problem solved!
J. R. Smith. Morar, 44 Glamis Road, Kirriemuir.