Letters to the Editor

users of the 'W' service

SIR, - In the face of shifting populations and a long term decline in bus use, I welcome Metro's serious look at bus services in the Wharfe Valley (Wharfedale Observer, October 20).

However, the changes proposed seem curious to say the least. The 'W' series of bus services is quite long established and has a recognisable brand name. This is an important factor for bus users, who are notoriously show to pick up on new services.

Why then, with in most cases just minor timetabling and route changes, are all the services to be changed to anonymous 960 to 967 numbers? This is particularly puzzling in the case of the W9, which over the last few years has steadily built up significant patronage in serving the trains at Menston Station.

Renumbering this as the 967 is likely to confuse existing users and pass non-users unnoticed. It is more disappointing that the service is not to be extended north of the river in Otley.

There are significant numbers of people in the Ashfield and Prince Henry areas who drive to work in Leeds and Bradford. A peak time service through these areas would surely help to increase public transport use.

Like Councillor John Bale,it makes me wonder what public consultation has taken place. Metro has certainly not 'consulted widely' as far as I know.

The issue of greater concern is the proposed routing of the 962 through the Waitrose car park. This is a potential safety hazard as the car park at busy times is a confused mix of pedestrians, manoeuvring cars and unrestrained trolleys piled high with shopping.

Trying to thread a bus through this lot beggars belief. The car park is not designed to be a public highway. Moving the bus stop further down Burras Lane towards the pedestrian entrance to Waitrose would be much more sensible.

It is good that Metro is actively considering local bus services, but it must ensure that it does not alienate existing users in the pursuit of new users.

Jonathan Smith

Glenthorne,

Burras Lane,

Otley.

Old battle

SIR, - The Chippendale issues which so interested your recent correspondents have been battled over so many times in your columns, that I hesitate to further the phoney war.

The spurious Worcester connection started in 1874 with Redgrave's Dictionary of Artists, was obediently followed by others and ended up in the Dictionary of National Biography.

The Wharfedale Observer debated the case to death as far back as the late 1940s, but the Worcester bubble had burst as early as 1912. The definitive monograph is the late Christopher Gilbert's Thomas Chippendale of 1978 which ably nails once and for all what the craftsman did, or mostly did not have to do with Otley and its region.

Just as the 'imputed trash' of the Shakespeare industry fogs the literary landscape, so too does our troubled statue question his very existence.

Paul Wood

5 Garnett Street,

Otley.

Death trap

SIR, - I really despair of our town planners and architects. They have built us a fine new state of the art hospital, but have now closed the top entrance and exit.

Every car must now exit from the very dangerous lower exit. There is an accident waiting to happen.

Cars are parked on both sides of Newall Carr Road and one must pull right out into the centre of the road to see what is coming up the hill. Very poor sight lines as cars are coming up the hill and round a bend.

Many who attend the hospital are elderly, or not well, so the exit should be driver friendly, not a death trap as it is now. I am very surprised that none of the hospital managers has noticed the problem.

Double yellow lines on Newall Carr Road would be a quick and cheap solution. I am aware the hospital is not very busy, but causing accidents at the gates is surely not the answer. Please can we have something done.

C Jackson

Hill Top Farm,

Adel.

FOOTNOTE: Leeds City Council is planning to install double yellow lines on Newall Carr Road on either side of the hospital entrance - Editor.

SID's day

SIR, - On behalf of the Road Safety Committee, may we express thanks to our small team of volunteers who helped us to operate SID whilst we had the speed device in Otley this week.

Thanks are expressed to:- James Blackie, Alan Cooper, Amy Cooper, Les Cross, Andrew Davey, Coun Gerrard Francis, Coun Nigel Francis and Becky Prosser from Leeds Road Safety Promotions Unit.

Our aim was to raise awareness that the approach roads into Otley have a speed limit of 30 mph (our records showed speeds of up to 47 mph). We monitored Pool Road, Leeds Road, Newall Carr Road, Weston Lane and East Chevin Road.

Unfortunately, neither time nor available volunteers allowed us to cover the west of the town, i.e. Burras Lane, Westgate and West Chevin Road, but we hope to do this when next we have SID in Otley.

Mrs A Cartwright

Secretary of Otley and

District Road Safety

Committee,

10 Wharfedale Court,

Otley.

No answer

SIR, - So is the creation of an additional post, which sounds remarkably like a desk job, the answer to the issues which affect the Otley Chevin ranger service? I have grave doubts.

In July, Otley Town Council twice unanimously backed resolutions asking the city council to leave Otley Chevin in the very good hands of our own rangers and their team of local volunteers.

Senior managers from Leeds came before the town council to tell us they wanted all rangers in the city to be based at Red Hall in Shadwell, reporting there daily and then being sent out on rotation to any of the city's parks, including the Chevin ' according to need'.

Councillors rejected this as completely unsound. Not a word was said about the need for an additional post for the Chevin.

When the issue came up for debate before the city council our three Lib Dem ward councillors failed to support restitution of our Chevin Ranger team. The vote was then lost and the reorganisation of the ranger service was confirmed.

The additional post, described in one Wharfedale report as that of a senior officer, is to be created to co-ordinate the work of two Chevin Rangers and a small team of foresters who spend only part of their time on the Chevin, and to produce a ten-year management plan for the estate.

I certainly don't oppose the idea of any necessary additional resources for the Chevin but I'm struggling to see the need for this post which looks like a way of trying to buy off opposition to the reorganisation. Surely someone is already responsible for those issues which in any case do not seem to amount to much of a job particularly a senior one.

So what's really going on here and why did our ward councillors drop their commitment to restoring our own ranger team to the Chevin?

My continuing concerns remain the break up of our experienced team and the effect that the loss of that expertise and the contacts built up with local groups including our schools over many years will have on the service, on the condition of the Chevin itself and, of course, the effect on the two Chevin Rangers, one of whom I understand has given 18 years' service there.

Without a credible and rational explanation for these decisions, Labour town councillors will continue to fight for the restoration of our own Chevin Ranger team.

Coun Kevin Cooney

18 Sunnydale Ridge

Otley.

Trauma

SIR, - In reply to Fiona Porteous' letter regarding the incident in Waitrose on the October 6, 2005, I would like to point out that the majority of people do understand what autism is and respect and help these people wherever it is possible to live a full and happy life.

I was a victim of this incident and I am still suffering from the injuries I received and the fear and trauma of that morning will stay with me for a long time. I do not blame the young man, but the people who are supposed to be looking after him, not only for his own welfare and safety, but for the community they live in.

These people who I am given to understand are employed and paid by the Social Services to protect and look after their welfare, and through no fault of their own, have to depend on these people to help them to lead a happy life.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

Otley.

Ragwort is worst for 20 years

SIR, - According to the National Equine Welfare Council, Britain is in the grip of the worst plague of ragwort for more than 20 years.

Getting the message across of the dangers of this killer weed is a massive challenge. Ragwort grows everywhere - gardens, hay meadows, pastures and roadside verges. On verges, the traffic blows the seeds for distances to infect further.

Many people are unaware of the damage ragwort does to horses. Indeed, it is believed 1,000 horses are killed every year. DEFRA has drawn up further guidelines on its control and disposal and a description of the effects of ragwort poisoning in horses by a Professor Knottenbelt in the Horse and Hound should have made all that read it concerned. However, the general public are mostly unaware of the dangers of this pretty but deadly weed. I would urge people to visit www.horseandhound.co.uk/ragwort

Val Morris

Townhead,

Askwith.