YP Letters: Bottlenecks on county's key routes like A64

I MUST comment on the contents of Tom Richmond’s column (The Yorkshire Post, August 16) about the A64 from York to Malton and Scarborough. It is an accurate account of the situation in North Yorkshire.

There are three roads which traverse from west to east in North Yorkshire. Firstly the M62, which appears to do its job and then comes the A64. There are a number of factors which are not only important but also very dangerous. The obvious one is the “planning” of the entire stretch from York to Scarborough.

The road changes from a single carriageway to a dual carriageway a number of times over this stretch, in effect trying to put a quart into a pint pot. This is what causes the hold-ups and frustration.

At certain junctions there are blind spots which cause accidents. Over- proliferation of road signs takes the attention of the driver off the road.

The only solution is to dual the entire stretch of the road. For decades we have been told that money is the answer for not doing so – it will cost even more in the future.

Finally, I add the third road, the A170 from Helmsley to Scarborough. This road is single carriageway all the way along with some motorists driving at around 40mph, thus causing responsible drivers to take unnecessary risks in overtaking.

The most notorious part of this road is the western approach to Pickering, where parking is allowed on the southern side when the unnecessary grass verge could be taken out to allow parking and open up the southern side lane to traffic.

I have thought for a long time that part of the problem is having a local MP who has some clout. Look what happened around Hull when John Prescott was in power.

Powerless to act on ‘Big Six’

From: Karl Sheridan, Selby Road, Holme on Spalding Moor.

ISN’T it wonderful how these Government regulatory bodies like Ofgem and the CMA, who are supposed to investigate energy companies and the financial sector on the taxpayer’s behalf, spend months, if not years, on consultations, only to come up with ineffectual recommendations?

Ofgem promised to make energy suppliers toe the line by making their tariffs and charges far more clear so that the consumer can make an informed and simple decision, and yet now it appears they have sanctioned the ‘Big Six’ to bring in a greater number of tariffs which, far from making it easier, will actually make matters more confusing.

The CMA (Competition & Markets Authority) has done exactly the same with the banking sector – full of promises to make banking simpler and fairer and yet, once again, they too have failed. Apart from minor points as regards overdrafts, their recommendations will hardly change anything.

Time and time we see this happening, to the point where one wonders exactly whose side these authorities are on.

Brought to book on cuts

From: Matthew Smith, Broomhill.

REGARDING Sheffield’s failed library policy, the politicians seem to have got off lightly, with no awkward questions asked of councillors to justify their supporting of policies which have led to the decline in and lack of statutory status for (and therefore easier closure of) 16 out of 28 of the city’s libraries.

There is a need for the cold hard facts to be acknowledged. The staff have gone and it is putting people off visiting.

People need their librarians. Cut library self-service (£42k per year), axe research assistants for councillors (£91k per year – they can do their research at Central Library), axe the Living Wage tax relief which no one has applied for (£500k budgeted) and restaff the libraries. The savings are there. There are no excuses. We need our library staff back.

Sympathisers of terrorism

From: Alan Thompson, Bramhope, Leeds.

WHY weren’t the Muslin extremists supporters of Bradford’s Tanveer Ahmer arrested outside the High Court in Glasgow?

These people are obviously 
of the same mind as this barbaric killer so are a threat to the 
public.

If we are ever going to beat the threat of terror in the UK, these people and others like them should not be allowed to walk the streets spreading their fanatical ideals to all who care to listen.

It’s time the Government started to put the British population above its fear of upsetting minorities.

More EU exits are unlikely

From: John Fisher, Menwith Hill.

THE chance of other members of the EU following the UK in leaving the EU appears to ignore some of the difficulties of leaving.

Britain did not use the euro, otherwise it could be faced with introducing a new currency. For some of the countries in the EU, the thought of introducing a new national bank and restoring old currencies, some of which in the past had a history of continuous devaluation, could hardly be described as an attractive proposition.

It could take many years to negotiate our exit from the EU during which it will be sterling which could be hammered on the anvil of uncertainty.

Power failure

From: Eddie Peart, Broom Crescent, Rotherham.

IN a recent report, one in four shops in Rotherham town centre are empty. So much for the Northern Powerhouse.