Letters to the Editor - August 22nd

Aug 22 2007 Liverpool Daily Post

Tram plan was too ambitious

I READ with interest the article about the possibility of resurrecting the doomed tram scheme. The main problem, in my opinion, was that the original scheme was far too ambitious.

The tram scheme should go ahead but should be scaled down. The ideal system, in my opinion, is a circular route around the city centre only to include the university and hospitals, some of Edge Lane, the new shopping complexes and the Albert Dock. So the shopper and the tourist is catered for – a no-lose situation.

There should also be very large car parks at various points to facilitate park and ride.

This makes a whole lot more sense than the original proposals which would have duplicated an existing route. Why would you need a tram going to Kirkby when Kirkby is already served by the railway.

Regarding Liverpool John Lennon airport, which was originally to be served by the project.

This should be a completely separate line going from the new Liverpool South Parkway station to the airport.

This would then encourage passengers to use the new station more as an integrated transport solution with, of course, through ticketing available.

Paul Roberts, Birkenhead

No information

SO THE visit of “The Black Pearl” was yet another entry on the long list of mistakes made by The Culture Company. In what is supposed to be the celebratory year of our city’s 800th birthday, you would think they would go to greater lengths to ensure that events are accurately publicised.

Yet even more annoying than the mistake made is that, despite what the spokesperson from The Culture Company may claim, we were not once informed of the fact that the ship was not The Black Pearl. This was despite waiting in line for an hour and a half and then waiting at the foot of the ramp leading onto it for several minutes.

We also did not hear anyone else being informed of this, not even a large group of children who were just ahead of us in the queue. I can only imagine how disappointed they, and all of the children who went along, will be at this news.

Genuine efforts should have been made to inform people, whether this was a poster displayed in the area or someone patrolling the queue.

On a positive note, thank you to the crew for entering into the spirit of things and for being so welcoming. Also, congratulations to HMS Bounty, her crew and the people of Liverpool for raising such a large amount of money for an excellent cause.

GM, L10

Walk the plank

WITH reference to Cllr Joe Anderson’s excellent bugle call for the resignation of one or more of the people involved in the fiasco over the cancellation of the Mathew Street Festival, etc (Daily Post, August 20).

Can I suggest that Captain Warren Bradley, as council leader, and committee member of a melange of bodies, including the Capital of Culture, should resign immediately. He, if anyone, should have known what was going on around the Port. If he didn’t, then more reason that it should be he to walk the plank, along with his first mate.

He is the captain of a ship, which he is steadily steering onto the Perch Rocks off New Brighton.

He also proclaims himself to be a Blues supporter, excuse my gales of laughter, who in their right mind would suggest a site in the middle of a city surrounded by overcrowded roads, with minimal car parking and the potential for horrendous city-wide traffic congestion.

From his past record of feats, or should that be defeats, his response has been a knee-jerk reaction to many problems, as he hangs from the yardarm of the floundering vessel called the “Liverpool City Council”.

Ian Chadwick, Halewood

Out of step

ONCE again, we find the Leader of the Labour Party on Liverpool City Council out of step with his own party policy.

First, he argues against his own government’s policy of bus lane enforcement, which must make his comrades on Merseytravel cringe. Then on Mathew Street, he tells us how the Festival has “gone from strength to strength, and not to dampen enthusiasm for the event”. According to his party colleagues, there is no festival. Which of them is telling the truth?

This is just a short while after he publicly denounced his own local Environment Spokesman’s support for fortnightly bin collections, which Labour Ministers still advocate.

Cllr Peter Millea,Executive Member, Liverpool City Council

Not inevitable

“PROBABLY inevitable”, what a ridiculous thing to say about congestion charging. It is only inevitable if Liverpool City Council decide that they want it. Clearly seeing the pound signs flash before their eyes (as usual) they have done just that.

Good on Peel Holdings for speaking out and saying what terrible damage a congestion charge will do to investment into the city. They are right. The money will go elsewhere. If the Government decides to force every council in this country to adopt congestion charging, then so be it, but Liverpool should not be ready to jump in with both feet at the first suggestion of it. We should at least put up a bit of a fight.

D Cadwallader, Mossley Hill

A warm welcome

IS IT true that the city council wishes to impose congestion charging in 2008? Are we going to tell our very welcome visitors to beware? Or, are we going to wait until they are here and charge them a penalty for coming?

Surely, the decent thing is to have our own special tourist and traffic police who can politely direct and encourage safe routes and decent parking and present a friendly and encouraging and comforting security presence for 2008.

But this is the Capital of Culture, and they are doubtless dreaming of endless fixed penalty notices, circa £60 each, issued by transport meanies to fill their coffers. Oh, just how negative do we wish to be?

George Gibbons, Bootle

Taxing problem

I SEE Peel Holdings feel they have the right to have their say about a congestion charge for Liverpool.

Is this the same Peel Holdings that is always looking for ways to tax the travelling public at John Lennon Airport?

As for their “pie in the sky” plans for the waterfront, I expect they will cherry-pick the most profitable bits and leave the rest.

M Craney, L3

Already too late

I MUST say how underwhelmed I am by the new-look Mathew Street Festival.

While it is commendable that organisations such as LIPA have rushed in to help save some elements of the original, it is hardly going to be the same.

I am pleased that tourists and local people will have something to see and do this weekend, but anyone expecting the sort of atmosphere of previous years will be sorely disappointed.

The Mathew Street Festival has not been saved but changed beyond all recognition.

This is an inferior event and the whole thing is frankly a shambles.

How the Culture Company can let such a world-class festival fade and die when their job is to promote culture and tourism in Liverpool is beyond me.

I await the results of the council’s investigation with interest, but it is already too late for this year’s event.

P Bruce, Allerton

No pride

HOW is Liverpool John Lennon Airport going to cope in 2008 when all the expected visitors descend on us? If the experience I have just had is typical, then they are not.

We arrived from Canada on a flyglobespan flight on Monday, August 13, at 7.45am ahead of schedule after a very good flight all round, after leaving Hamilton at 8.25pm on August 12.

We proceeded down steps, tired and cold after being in temperatures in the 90s, only to be held up waiting for airport staff to cross us to the main airport.

A lady sauntered down with no apology for keeping us waiting.

We went through immigration with no problems, but then we waited a full hour before the baggage arrived on the carousel. We asked numerous questions to two ladies, whose answers changed three time.

On this occasion, the airport was dirty and the smell from the ladies toilets was awful.

When are we going to take some pride in our city?

S Doyle, Liverpool

Huge cost

AT THE end of last week, the number of coalition fatalities in Iraq passed 4,000, but I’m not aware of any media coverage of this latest milestone in the tragedy of this illegal war – why not?

There have also been 30,000 coalition troops wounded and both these figures are a fraction of the number of Iraqis killed and wounded.

The financial cost (over £350bn so far) is not just about money. It’s almost impossible to imagine what good it could have done, had it been spent elsewhere.

It makes me laugh, considering all this waste, to see in Labour’s propaganda for the Warbreck by-election, claims to be concerned about the environment.

Mark Bill, UK Independence Party, Liverpool

Curb drinks sales

CORNER shops should not be licensed.

Also, off-licences should be connected to pubs.

This is how it worked in the not-too-distant past.

Adults who wanted to buy alcohol went to the pub or the connected outlets and, unless we radically alter this, we will not win the war on alcohol.

Ms Shawcross, Birkenhead