Let bus drivers do their jobs

Jul 8 2009 Birkenhead News

WELL said R. A Lavery (Letters, July 1) regarding pensioners moaning about having to take tickets off the Arriva drivers.

As a regular user of the Wirral bus services, for both shopping and for pleasure, I watch with disdain and annoyance at the amount of pensioners who complain to the drivers about being given a ticket as proof of their journey.

These drivers have managers who pass on instructions to them with regards to ticket distribution, but the ones who moan at every driver on every journey seem to think its a ploy to stop them getting to a seat before anyone else.

I myself have been pushed aside on many occasions by my fellow pensioners as I have boarded a bus in the town centre bus station.

On numerous occasions drivers have pulled up smiling and laughing and joking with passengers of all ages, only for the good atmosphere to be spoilt by the inevitable whinger getting on and spoiling the mood of everybody on board.

I have great respect for all of our bus drivers, they have to put up with the yobs who think its ok to have out of date, or even forged tickets, and then these people are challenged they resort to very foul and disgusting language.

Let the driver do his job, let him enjoy his day, we will all reap the benefit of a safe and enjoyable bus ride.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

Good partners

A READER recently wrote in complaining about the money given every year to Tranmere for shirt sponsorship.

In return the club has been able to offer some of the lowest prices for locals to attend games in the Football League, particularly for young persons and senior citizens – including many free passes to local school parties – and, over the last 19 years since the partnership started, Rovers have been a wonderful ambassador for us particularly during the many great cup runs.

The Tranmere Rovers Learning Centre, a partnership between the club and council serving the local community – particularly our youth – has without question been a tremendous success.

This strong partnership needs to be encouraged and developed, not knocked.

PROFESSOR STEPHEN HARDING

via e-mail

Rovers’ pride

I WOULD like to reply to the comment a reader made about Wirral Council sponsoring Tranmere Rovers.

This includes Tranmere doing work for the community on behalf of the club itself and the council, also we show the logo all over the country advertising our small borough – hopefully bringing some kind of tourist revenue to us to keep our businesses running.

I am personally proud to be advertising Wirral on my shirt, it shows where I come from.

The only reason I can see in your moan is you dislike football or you’re a Liverpool and/or Everton fan.

ALLAN JONES

Prenton

Blues over bins

DESPITE disinfectant, bleach, pressure washing and bagging all waste, our wheelie bin is overflowing with maggots.

The house is infested with blue bottles despite having the bin far away. This is a terrible health hazard and disgusting.

Can the weekly bin emptying not be resumed during the summer months? This must be a health hazard to the bin men and people with small children.

CHRIS & ROB

via e-mail

Stop scrutiny

I HAVE just read the article in your paper entitled “Field Work Under Scrutiny”.

In my view, there is no point in scrutinising good constituency MPs.

Frank Field and Ben Chapman have done a lot for their constituents on a grass roots level for a number of years.

And, to be frank (excuse the pun), it would be more fitting for a democracy to hear about their good work and campaigns (such as Chapman’s campaign against library closures) rather than gossip column-style sensationalism. I suggest we let these MPs get back to the business they were elected to carry out.

SUSAN DAVIES

Neston

Stop the rot

I WAS shocked to hear about the council’s £80m deficit in last week’s Wirral News.

Clearly they must be incompetent to carry on doing what they are doing. Last week in the local press there were 15 advertisements for jobs with the council with salaries of between £15 and £25,000 a year.

In a deficit situation in well-run local authorities and companies this is the first thing to be stopped.

If this council is in a position to keep advertising jobs of this nature, then the deficit is only in the council’s dreams.

If we are indeed in this deficit situation for real, then there is a well understood formula for getting the borough out of it.

The main thing to implement is the elimination of waste, and cutting back on things we can't afford. Doing what this council wants to do, by selling of more of the borough's heritage such as the libraries, is totally the wrong way of tackling a deficit because the finance is just not there to supply replacements.

The best way to tackle this now is:

1. Stop all recruiting in the council for two years.

2. Reduce council administration by 50%.

3. Stop subsidising Tranmere Rovers.

If this doesn't get us out of deficit, the next stage would be to eliminate people the borough doesn't need, such as a chief executive.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

Uphold the law

WITH reference to the letter “Thoughtless” (July 1), regarding the accident on Kings Parade.

Why is the local authority encouraging cyclists to break the law and putting the lives of pedestrians in jeopardy? Cycle lanes have no basis in law. After a number of deaths caused by pavement cyclists the Chief Constable, Mr. Hogan-Howe, said Merseyside Police are cracking down on illegal cycling – so why are Wirral police ignoring this edict?

The police and CSOs should uphold the law and prosecute or issue fixed penalty notices to offenders, and rangers should ensure cyclists don't ride on footpaths in our local beauty spots.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

Lost and found

MAY I please through your letters page extend my grateful thanks to the lady who found my mobile phone and credit card and took great pains to get it back to me quickly via a neighbour.

MISS C STONALL

via e-mail