SIR - Re your readers' letters about the demise of American bandleader Glenn Miller (pictured right). I recently did a small water colour painting taken from a book entitled The Mighty Eight, which depicts Glenn Miller standing on the tarmac beside the plane which was to take him to France. He is talking to two other fellow passengers shortly before take-off.

I have taken a short extract from the details which is given as follows:

"RAF Twinwood Farm, December 15, 1944. Glenn Miller talks with Lt Colonel N F Baessel (a fellow passenger) and pilot F/O J R S Morgan before take-off at 1355 hours for Villacoublay near Paris. Aircraft was Noorduyn VC-64-A Norseman transport aircraft 44.70285, Canadian-built eight-seater."

B Herbert, Wynford Way, Low Moor.

SIR - We hear a lot from motorists about high petrol costs. I agree that the Government are exploiting drivers, using them as a quick way of raising revenue.

Where I part company from motorists, however, is when they claim that they pay more than their fair share for using our roads.

The truth is that society as a whole is forced to share the burden of people using their cars.

For example, the hold-ups to essential freight on the roads from cars generally containing only one person must be enormous and we all share the extra costs of that in higher prices.

Add to that what must be the astronomical costs from accidents, and it is obvious that the indiscriminate use of cars on our congested roads is a very expensive luxury for ALL of us.

On the Continent they seem to have a far more sensible attitude using public transport more and even bicycles! Regardless of how many new roads may be in the pipeline, the days of unrestricted use of private cars must be numbered but it is a pity that people have to be forced in effect to limit their personal motoring.

Personally, I have never felt the need for a car and use our excellent public transport quite happily. While travelling I think of all the thousands of pounds I save and the hassle I avoid!

Don Burslam, South Edge, Shann Park, Keighley.

SIR - Christopher Leslie's mischievous assertion (Letters, July 27) that a Conservative Government "would never" proceed with the Bingley Relief Road requires a firm response.

This road was approved, prepared and put out to tender by the last Government with a target completion date in 2000. On assuming power, John Prescott halted the process, compensated contractors for time they had wasted in preparing their bids and put the scheme into the Roads Review of 1997/98, delaying completion of this desperately-needed road for a further three years.

As the Shadow Chancellor made clear when visiting Bingley in March, the next Conservative Government will most certainly finish the project initiated by the last. Furthermore, the construction contract will be placed shortly and work will be well underway by the time the election is called.

The suggestion that any Government would contemplate cancellation of a road partway through its construction phase, scarring the landscape and incurring huge contractual penalties, is risible.

The blunt truth is that neither major party has covered itself with glory on the Relief Road. Past Conservative Governments were seriously at fault for not acting faster. Labour's three-year delay has compounded the problem.

I sense on the doorstep that people have grown weary of all the point scoring.

David Senior, (Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Shipley), Otley Road, Shipley.

SIR - What an excellent idea by Councillor Dave Green (Lab) to set up a working party to look at ways of attracting more hi-tech industry to Shipley.

More employment is good news for local people.

As a resident of Shipley West, I would like to know why Tory Councillors Carroll and Herdson refused, by abstaining, to support this scheme.

While I can understand their embarrassment that since a Labour Government, unemployment has fallen and nearly one million more people have found work, I would like to remind them that they were elected to represent the people of Shipley West and should put their constituents' interests before party loyalty.

Tony Rawlinson, Birklands Road, Shipley.

SIR - The Editor (T&A, August 1) asked if anyone was happy with the bus changes.

This has to be the joke of the year, especially for users of the 680 bus from Bradford to Smiddles Lane and return.

This is supposed to be a half-hourly run but almost all buses are running 15 and 20 minutes late in both directions.

Besides this, twice this week the bus from Bradford has failed to show up at all.

I wonder if I might suggest the running of a more frequent service or put on a mini-bus to Heaton village.

Malcolm Rawnsley, Heaton Road, Bradford.

All is not lost

SIR - I think Gareth Logan (T&A, August 2) is confusing the actual bus service changes with the help that was available to make sense of them.

I have never disguised my view that residents of Eccleshill/Thorpe Edge and Great Horton have been among the losers in this re-organisation.

However, the publicity was considerably more helpful than that which accompanied the changeover in Interchange stands in March and about which I complained to the Director of Metro.

Instead of tatty diagrams stuck on bus stands, there were plenty of clear maps on offer.

Whereas on the Sunday in March there was someone at the Interchange directing buses and nobody directing passengers, on July 23 there were Metro and First Bradford staff present to do just that.

In the Bradford Passenger Consultative Committee, I have done my share of criticising Metro and First Bradford (and Northern Spirit, for that matter), but that does not stop me offering praise (shock, horror!) when these people get something right.

Even if we don't agree with all the changes, we want passengers to have clear information about what has happened.

Meanwhile I believe that all is not lost in Eccleshill and Thorpe Edge if local bus users can unite behind clear proposals for improvement and lobby the service providers. They will get my support in the PCC.

Reverend Geoff Reid, Touchstone Centre, Merton Road, Bradford 7.

SIR - We wanted to do something special for the year 2000 so we threw about two billion pounds down the plug hole. Haven't we done well?

The silly Millennium Dome is no good to Tom, Dick or Harry and now we're selling the thing.

If we had wanted to do something special for the year 2000 we should have built a new hospital and bought equipment for hospitals. We would have had something to celebrate then. Instead we are watching the NHS go down the plug hole with the Dome.

John Dawson, Frensham Drive, Great Horton.

Great success

SIR - On behalf of the committee, I wish to thank all who made this year's 25th Anniversary Straw Race at Oxenhope a success, despite the weather!

A big thankyou to the runners and their sponsors and to all who gave their time so freely on our behalf.

Special thanks to the people of Oxenhope for their continued support.

Judith Fisher (secretary, Oxenhope Straw Race), Lawcliffe Crescent, Haworth.