YP Letters: A spoke in wheel of Tour de Yorkshire claims

IN response to the readers who make points about why the recent bike race has the ridiculous title Tour de Yorkshire and also why Sir Gary Verity makes equally ridiculous claims about how many watched the event (The Yorkshire Post, May 12), I would make the following comments.

While I would not detract from the pleasure this event gives to many people, it is a professional race and there is big money at stake here. Christian Prudhomme, Tour de France race director, decides what the race will be called and I am afraid Sir Gary dances to his tune.

If you looked at the published accounts for Welcome to Yorkshire one could be forgiven for thinking that this is all the Yorkshire tourist board, which is what they really are, do.

Not everyone benefits from the race financially and wouldn’t it be good to know how much it costs us in policing costs etc?

It would also be good if Sir Gary could tell me that I am wrong and that, as a fellow dyed-in-the-wool Yorkshireman, he thinks Tour of Yorkshire has a much better ring to it.

As for the banal Cote de Pool Banc, what next? Rename Leeds Town Hall La Bastille?

Poor links for town

From: Mrs JP Gaskell-Hunt, Thirsk.

I HAVE just read the article extolling the virtues of living in Thirsk. However, I must take exception (The Yorkshire Post, May 12) to your mention of good transport links.

This may be so if one has one’s own transport or is a good walker! You may not be aware of the dire bus service in Thirsk. There are no buses after 6.15 pm Monday to Saturday (Ripon - Northallerton 70 service), the last through bus back from York (30) leaves there at 3.30pm (the later one connecting at Easingwold needs one to leave York at about 4pm and doesn’t run on non-school/college days).

We have a splendid rail service every day but the station is over one mile out of town, and buses (Monday to Saturday only, none on Sundays) rarely connect.

The only option most of the time is to walk to/from there or spend more money on a taxi.

This totally inadequate bus service is the butt of countless local jokes and something needs to be done about it before it either disappears altogether, or that media such as yourselves need to make the public, NYCC and other relevant authorities aware of the urgent need for improvement before suggesting that Thirsk might be the ideal place to live. For some, with their own transport, it may be. For many, it is not.

The other rail museum

From: Nigel Boddy, Fife Road, Darlington.

I HAVE visited York’s National Railway Museum recently. I am amazed large amounts of money are about to be spent on redeveloping this museum because it is pretty impressive as it stands. It is difficult to see how it could be improved in any way. Surely the traffic congestion which will result isn’t worth it, is it?

The offshoot sister museum of York Railway Museum at Shildon is also very impressive. However Darlington’s North Road Station is the only remaining station from the Stockton to Darlington Railway which still exists today.

In the hands of the local authority, haven’t these buildings been somewhat neglected of late? Currently there is a little railway museum at the station also run by the local authority. In the approach to the bi-centenary of the Stockton to Darlington Railway in 2025, might some money be spent in Darlington to improve the situation, especially to restore this unique irreplaceable set of buildings?

Stream council debates online

From: Helen McIlroy, Sheffield.

IT is with some amusement that I read of Sheffield City Council’s tweaking of its arrangements of full council meetings ‘to make the authority more accessible to members of the public’.

I believe that was also the reason given when meetings were moved from 2pm to 5pm only a matter of months ago, yet there has been no shortage of public interest in those months with the public gallery overflowing and proceedings inaudibly relayed. Reducing the time for debates would simply make filibustering easier.

If SCC genuinely want to increase openness and participation, they should introduce live streaming so that the whole electorate can see what a shambles the meetings are.

Student debt deters lenders

From: Arthur Quarmby, Mill Moor Road, Meltham.

KEANE Duncan claims that his university debt – £38,000 and rising to £57,000 – is no problem because it will be wiped out after 30 years (The Yorkshire Post, May 12). But what about the years between? What if he wants to purchase a house, expand a business or even buy a car? What financial institute will lend him money with that debt hanging over his head?

Return to sender

From: Mike Lacey, Elloughton, East Yorkshire.

WE regularly hear about the amount of waste created by excessive packaging.

I would suggest that Vodafone could go to near the top of the list of wasters. I had to return a mobile phone to them and yesterday the bag arrived for 
this purpose.

I could have put about 24 phones in the same bag.

When I phoned Vodafone, 
and finally spoke to a real person, he had no idea about the problem – even though he was in the Returns Department.