SIR - Having read the article on proposed traffic control measures I must applaud Bradford Council for the inclusion of cycle ways within the proposed works.
Cycle ways are never going to be popular in this country as the car rules, and this is confirmed by the short sightedness of people such as John Weatherall. His comment about only a handful of cycles is well wide of the mark, and I would question the evidence and motives for such a comment.
If traffic carries on growing at the current rate, grid lock is a very real prospect. The government have recognised this fact, and their policy on transport that they are promoting has cycling at the forefront.
By including safe cycle lanes within built up areas, this can only encourage more people to use cycles and not the car. The city of York has recognised this fact and is a good example to refer to. You don't see empty cycle lanes but instead many people utilising a cheap, clean and healthier alternative to the car. To achieve this ideal doesn't happen overnight, but it does have to start somewhere and why not now ?
Rob Bainbridge,
Sir - The social consequences of the Industrial Revolution have reached a culminating point where road traffic is concerned.
We have to make better use of the 24 hour clock and work shifts and forget about "unsocial hours". Millions of people already do this and are catered for by television and sport during their leisure time, as well as other relaxing venues.
We have to encourage motorists to stagger their time with incentives such as financial gain from licence and fuel discounts. The overall saving in cost would more than make up for any immediate loss in excise.
Successive governments have failed to promote the goodwill of the people since the "dig for victory" propaganda during the war. What we need now is "drive for discount" encouragement.
Charles Meacher
Sir - I see the Royal Arcade, in Low Street, is being allowed to fall even further into decay.
I have fond memories of working there at Frank Butterfield (Kly) Ltd, in the late 1940's. The first job on a Monday morning was to sweep the whole Arcade with a mixture of sawdust and creosote!
The Royal Arcade is one hundred years old this year. It would be most fitting if it could be rescued, as was promised some two and a half years ago by Bradford Council and Brunel and Family Housing Association. So what happened?
K.A.Webster
Abb Scott Lane,
Bradford
Sir - It is with much reflection that I too, like Mr Javid Bashir, have been following the recent interest on arranged and forced marriages.
I would like to thank Mr Bashir for highlighting the true Islamic concepts of marriage, but does he not think that his statement is long overdue?
As an involved figure of Keighley Muslim Association, it would have been more beneficial if he, instead of focusing on fundraising for elaborate mosques, gave priority to clearly sending this important message to some of the Muslims in our community who are either unaware of or ignore these facts.
If 'arranged marriages' had not been carried out with certain degrees of persuasion and emotional blackmail, then there would not be the amount of unhappy young people as there are.
I seriously urge parents to think carefully when arranging marriages, as without willing, unpressurised consent not only are marriages Islamically forbidden, ruin people's lives and happiness, but also create disillusions and misleading concepts about Islam in general.
From the
concerned individuals
Sir - Thank you for raising the issue of the poor state of both road and footpaths in Spencer Avenue.
Placing it as you did next to the article heralding the advent of yet another strata of Local Government bringing "power to the people" with the formation of a new 'advisory group', the comments from both Bradford Council and Silsden's Parish Council were laughable! A classic case of the establishment 'passing the buck'!
As yet neither Council have had the courtesy to reply to my letters. I would like to say to Councillor Chris Atkinson of Silsden Parish Council - please don't insult my intelligence!
I did not ask for financial assistance from you as you don't have any funds, what I hoped for was information, advice and support in a local matter.
It would seem that you can offer none of these.
I would like to say that I have every sympathy for the residents of Spencer Avenue. "Their street" is not a quiet little undisturbed backwater, it is the main access route to the town centre for hundreds of houses!
Perhaps the residents should collect a toll from other users - but wait a minute - doesn't someone already do that and call it "Council Tax"?
Every year the condition of both road and footpath deteriorates and the cost of rectifying the position increases.
At some point there will be an accident to either a pedestrian or car driver. Who will be responsible for them? Who will have the necessary insurance to cover any claim?
Beryl Simister
Hunters Meadow
Silsden
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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