Wirral Letters: September 22

Sep 22 2010 by Donna Price, Birkenhead News

RE:Š Deliveries of large, bulky items to those who are somewhat disabled, including many of our older citizens.

It was a unanimous vote at our recent quarterly meeting of Wirral Older People's Parliament, that we should write on this subject.

Increasing numbers of our members report that delivery of items which cannot be put through a letter box in the door, are causing problems.

The postman or parcel force deliverer rings the bell, within seconds puts a card through the door, and leaves.

The recipient then has to collect the item at the sorting office. On many occasions, it takes a frail or disabled person some time to get to the door.

SANDRA WALL

Chair, Wirral Older People’s Parliament

MANY ratepayers will have read with sadness and alarm of the plans by the Wirral council to privatise the management of our parks, golf courses, cemeteries, rangers etc, with a view to saving £10 million over the next decade.

Our councillors were elected to run all these services etc, within the income available from ratepayers, grants from central government etc, as they have done for over a century.

They were not elected to dump their responsibilities.

All people have to live within their means – Wirral council should do the same.

D ROBERTS

Prenton

I AM the appeal administrator of The Newborn Appeal Charity based at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital and would like to thank the management and staff and the generous and supportive public of Liscard and Wallasey for their support in the Cherry Tree Centre in the past.

I will be in the Cherry Tree Centre for a week , beginning Monday November 8, with the Newborn Appeal knitting stall and a tombola stall.

JAN WALTON

Appeal Administrator, The Newborn Appeal, 0151 702 4194

Mr. Eiffel didn’t take this long!

I JUST had to write in to comment on the “ongoing” work being carried out on the Bidston viaduct section of the M53 Junction 1 and to add a little bit of perspective into the mix.

As a Wirral resident and frequent traveller on the said section of motorway I am constantly dismayed and more than a little annoyed at the whole sorry state of affairs.

Not so long ago (1887) a chap named Gustave Eiffel began work on a not-too-little tower (324 metres /1.063ft high) in Paris and in 1889 stood back and admired his “finished” handiwork.

A little earlier (1859) work began on the Victorian sewer system of London and some 1182 miles of sewer later in 1868 the work was more or less finished.

I must also include that geezer (and a few labourers) from Giza who built a 5.9 million tonne pyramid out of some 2.3 million blocks of stone, estimated build time of between 14-20 years.

I am sure by now that most readers will get the point of this letter and will (in future) not help but notice the grass growing out of the top of the traffic cones on the Bidston viaduct and feel just a little ashamed that such a minor section of road that would probably have been cheaper (though I very much doubt quicker) to pull down and re-build has become such an ongoing and embarrassing eyesore.

One thing I do know is that they are not creating a new eighth wonder of the world amongst all of the scaffolding and polythene sheeting but more of a wonder what the hell they are actually doing there.

CARL GORMAN

Greasby

Getting shirty

AS a private hire taxi office owner for many years I agree to some extent that there are some drivers that need to smarten themselves up, but they are a very, very small minority. This whole concept has been brought about by the small minority who appear before the licensing panel.

For those who don't know what the licensing panel is, it’s similar to going up before the headmaster in a Dickensian school and SOME people who go before the panel go there looking scruffy, whereas most people would make an effort as they would going to court for a motoring offence.

For Unite and the JCC and the private hire licensing office to say it should be put to the taxi firms suggesting they supply shirts with logos is like bolting the door after the horse has gone.

Who is going to supply these shirts and how many shirts would a driver need a week? Multiply this by 300 plus drivers.

Who is going to foot the cost of this? It is absolutely ludicrous.

J. K CARRAN

The Sevens & Roadrunner Taxis, Upton

Matter of seconds

WHAT is the problem with the change of speed limit on the Bidston bypass?

If your correspondents were to calculate how much time would be clipped off a journey by accelerating to the national speed limit just after the Tesco roundabout and then decelerating to comply with the restrictions at Fender Lane, I think they might find they would save about five seconds.

The cost of the fuel used by this operation compared with maintaining a lower speed would probably offset this small ‘advantage’.

Contrast any time saving against the effect of an impact at 70 mph or the consequences of losing control at 70 mph. In many cases, death would occur at 70 mph whereas at 40 mph the damage and injury would be much less.

Having used this stretch of road regularly, I suspect that the main issue prompting the change is not the speeds experienced in the middle stretch of the by pass but the fact that few drivers are prepared to comply with the lower limit at the Fender Lane end.

ROY RODGER

Via email

No consultation

I REALLY do have to take issue with the local Tory/Liberal Democrat coalition’s so called consultation exercise.

It’s like turkeys voting for Christmas under the pretence of listening to local people so they can blame residents when the cuts come.

If they are so open and transparent why did they not consult people about the privatisation of our parks or at least consider keeping it in-house with the workforce?

PAT HACKETT

Ex-Labour ward councillor, New Brighton 1994–2008

Thanks for help

NOWADAYS many young men are criticised for their behaviour, however I would like to say that I was really impressed a few weeks ago when I was travelling along Irby road and had to stop my car because I heard a noise.

I got out and looked under the car but couldn’t see anything.

A young man walking on the opposite side of the road came over and checked my car underneath – the exhaust had fallen off! He then came back and offered me a coffee whilst I was waiting for vehicle breakdown service.

If you are reading this, can I say many thanks for your thoughtful action.

JEAN BROSTER

via e-mail