Wirral News Letters: June 29

Jun 29 2011 Birkenhead News

Toll comment was misleading

THE comments of Mr John McGoldrick, group secretary of the Mersey Tunnel Users’ Association, in your report of Merseytravel’s proposed £12,000 charity donation from overpaid tunnel tolls, are both mean-spirited and small-minded.ŠŠŠ(Your Views, June 22)

None of the overpayment is a result of equipment malfunction. It is all down to customers knowingly inserting more than the required toll.

Mr McGoldrick must realise the proportion of drivers who last year chose to overpay is negligible in comparison to the total – less than one five hundredth of one per cent (0.05%).

Nor are motorists “forced to pay” as Mr McGoldrick claims and any motorists’ overspend is certainly not the result of poor machinery.

It is a matter of choice whether a motorist chooses to use an automatic or staffed lane, and motorists can use the latter to change a higher denomination coin or note, in order to pay the correct toll.

InstallingŠ machinery which provides change is not the answer.ŠThis would merely cause congestion at the toll boothsŠ– and give Mr McGoldrick and his cohorts something else to complain about.

The solution for regular users of the Mersey tunnels is simple.Š A Fast Tag saves both time and money.

Neil Scales

Chief Executive, Merseytravel

Editor’s Footnote: In last week's front page report of the £12,000 overpayment, it was stated that many motorists using the automatic toll booths are forced to pay more than is due and this amounted to a form of robbery. We wish to make clear that is the view of the Mersey Tunnel Users Association and that Merseytravel regard the allegation as outrageous and without any foundation. We are sorry if any readers were misled.

Cash confusion

MR JOHN McGoldrick appears to be confused as to how the tunnels work, so here’s a guide.

1. Put the correct change in the bucket.

2. If you haven’t got the correct change, drive to a staffed booth.

3. If you put the correct change in the bucket and the barrier doesn’t rise, press the help button.

4. If you can’t be bothered following instructions 1 to 3, pay more than you need to, but then don’t whine when Merseytravel gives the overpayment to charity instead of pocketing it.

I hope that clarifies the process.

Sean Rostron

Bebington

Jobs’ fair

AS directors of The Light Cinema, due to open later this year in New Brighton, we attended a recent Wirral jobs fair as part of our recruitment drive.

We would just like to express our wonder at finding so many excellent candidates looking for positions within our cinema.

There were around 3,000 job-seekers through the door at the event and we met hundreds of talented, enthusiastic and articulate people of all ages.

We were extremely impressed by the quality of people seeking positions at The Light and are looking forward to working with an excellent team.

We are confident that our cinema will play a big role in supporting the local community and it is important to us to give jobs to local people.

We will be investing heavily in training and see every staff member as a potential manager.

We are dedicated to providing not just jobs, but careers, with structured development and progression for all our staff.

So a big thank you to everyone who came to see us at the jobs fair – you are a credit to the Wirral and we wish you all the best for the future.

John Sullivan and Damian Drabble

The Light Cinema, New Brighton

Music available

IN response to your letter Safeguard Music (Your Views, June 22).

It is a tragedy that due to local authority funding, music will eventually be excluded from schools.

Having said that, for the last four years we have run a community-based music workshop in Birkenhead which is open to anyone over 10 years of age.

We encourage all types of music and vocalists at our open workshops.

Because we are community-based and not a profit-making organisation, it is a struggle to get people through the door at the nominal fee we charge because we can’t afford to advertise.

So there are places available in the community for music, for people.

If anybody wants to know more about us, please telephone 07810697646.

Name and address supplied