Letters to the Editor

SIR - As a student who drives a considerable distance to and from university each day I cannot help but be outraged by the police authority, and their so-called 'accident prevention units'.

The police authorities state cameras are clearly visible to road users and only placed in accident black spots.

Firstly, the permanent, big yellow speed cameras would be all well and good if there were obvious signs telling you the maximum speed permitted in that area.

Secondly, I am utterly confused how the partially-marked cars on the side of the road with a hand held speed camera are 'visible'.

I agree if you are speeding this is an effective way of reducing accidents, but how can they be called 'accident prevention units' when you don't know where they are and you receive a ticket weeks later?

Personally, I think these are simply an effective way to misuse speed cameras for the simple fact of acquiring money from helpless drivers.

Fran Askew, Box Tree Grove, Long Lee, Keighley

Mail concerns

SIR - Having read the letter (T&A, April 6) regarding non-delivery of mail, I entirely agree with the writer.

Over the past two months mail that should have been delivered to me, relatives and friends has gone missing. These include hospital appointments, insurance policies, birthday cards and a special Mother's Day card that my daughter should have received from her daughter who is serving in the army.

When my daughter rang the Post Office she was told that they could not trace first-class mail.

These missing letters are the ones that we know have been sent but what about the mail, especially hospital appointments, that we do not know have been sent?

It was only when we rang the hospital that we found out that an appointment had been sent out.

With the increase in postage I do feel that we deserve a better service. I personally deliver all the mail I can by hand to ensure it arrives safely. After posting mail I ring to check if they have received it, so it not only costs me a stamp but also a phone call.

Mrs W Smith, Meadowbank Avenue, Allerton.

Open up the Odeon

SIR - I must applaud the recent efforts of BORG and supporters (Norman Littlewood, John Pennington, Mark Nicholson, etc) in their determination to save the Odeon from demolition.

I cannot understand why our city fathers do not openly back them to the hilt.

I'd like to ask Maud Marshall why she had requested an embargo on discussions between herself and BORG at private meetings initiated by the Council.

If there's nothing to hide then she should accept my open challenge to allow BORG and independent building surveyors to inspect the interior of the Odeon. Let this confusing matter be cleared once and for all.

As for the "crumbling" rear, has it been forgotten that at one time there were other buildings attached to the back of the Odeon?

Regarding the Editor's comment (T&A, February 14) about "mothballing costs" it's a fact that BCR only instructed Arup to survey the towers, so their findings regarding the rest of the building from a restoration point of view are based on what exactly?

Regarding the lake, as Bradford has been subject to flooding in the past, why would we want the foundations of City Hall put at risk? These questions need answering.

M Atkinson, Woodvale Way, Bradford.

Look to home...

SIR - The NHS, starved of funding, is closing hospital wards and shedding staff, yet Chancellor Gordon Brown has pledged £8.5 billion to help poor children in Third World countries.

Mr Brown obviously has never heard the saying "charity begins at home", or else he would have given this money to the health service or towards decent pensions for our senior citizens. We have our own people to think about without subsidising the poor of other countries.

A Shipman, Harley Gardens, Swinnow.

Go on, have a go

SIR - It has been the practice for all companies, businesses, hospitals and councils to pay mileage allowances to staff on the basis of the bigger the car the more money per mile, so providing an incentive to pollute.

It is encouraging that a South Devon district council is attempting to sort this out. It proposes to pay 60p per mile for vehicles producing less than 100gms of CO2 per kilometre and only 20p for those over 200 gms.

It won't be easy because at the moment the Inland Revenue will claw back some of the low-emission allowances and there are vested interests that will slow down change.

It would be a real challenge for a large council to take this on as part of its climate change programme and I volunteer Bradford to have a go.

Keith Thomson, Heights Lane, Bradford.

Animal suffering

SIR - The recent disaster concerning the clinical drug trial volunteers only serves to highlight how misleading and inaccurate animal tests are. This is because each species reacts differently to the same drug.

Penicillin helps people but kills guinea pigs. Tamoxifen, first designed as a contraceptive, worked on rats but had the opposite effect in women.

Aspirin causes birth defects in cats but not in people. The cancer drug 6-azauridine can be used in humans for long periods, but small doses can kill dogs in a few days.

Furthermore, animal testing can delay medical progress. The introduction of blood transfusions was delayed for more than 200 years because of misleading animal data. The introduction of corneal transplants was delayed by 90 years.

Many drugs have been passed as safe in animals only to kill or harm people.

If anyone would like further details on how they can help stop animals suffering please contact the NAVS, tel 02088469777, and write to your MP and ask them why alternatives to animal testing are not being given priority.

Lynne Stokes, Temple Rhydding Drive, Baildon.

Teenage arthritis

SIR - It comes as a shock to many people that arthritis isn't just a condition suffered by older people but can affect children and teenagers too. For teenagers, already going through the difficult time of adolescence, having arthritis can be a major additional burden.

The condition can limit their lifestyle because of physical problems, make them different to their peers and cause difficulties in forming relationships.

Now medical research charity the Arthritis Research Campaign has produced a booklet aimed at guiding youngsters with arthritis through the minefield of their condition and their adolescence.

Written by an expert, Arthritis: A Guide for Teenagers, explains the different types of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (to give the condition its proper name), types of treatment and the transitional period that teenagers have to go through in moving from children's to adult healthcare.

To obtain a free copy of Arthritis: A Guide for Teenagers, call 01904 696994, e-mail: info@arc.org.uk or write to me.

Jo Warren, Information Officer, Arthritis Research Campaign, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S41 7TD.

Bus fare funding

SIR - I would like to allay the fears expressed by Mr M Byrne (T&A, April 8) about the costs of the new scheme for free off-peak bus travel for the over-60s.

As the scheme is a national one, introduced by Chancellor Gordon Brown, the cost falls upon income tax payers, not the bus fare payers.

In the short term, therefore, the only concern is whether we in West Yorkshire have received enough from the Treasury to compensate the bus operators for lost revenue, and I can assure Mr Byrne that we shall be keeping a careful eye on that situation.

Coun Stanley King, Deputy Chairman, West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority, Wellington Street, Leeds.

Put back the clock

SIR - Pensioners are now on free bus travel but they are still discriminated against having to pay full fare before 9.30am.

Is it the same in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales?

When will Labour give pensioners back the freedom to travel any time of the day as we did prior to retirement?

M Waters, Howard Street, Pellon Lane, Halifax.