YP Letters: Make buses free to cure traffic ills

THE answer to poor public transport, congestion, and pollution is to make public transport (buses) free of charge to all users.

The driver would not need to collect fares, resulting in quicker boarding, and shorter journey times. New buses could have more doors.

More people using the buses would mean more buses – a service every few minutes instead of every hour, or half hour.

More people using the buses would mean fewer cars on the road, resulting in less congestion and even shorter journey times

Fewer cars means less pollution, and reduced infrastructure and road maintenance costs.

The net cost would be met out of taxation, presumably council tax, meaning everyone pays (perhaps with the exception of those with no reasonable access to a bus service).

Even those who through choice, or necessity, choose to use their own vehicles benefit from shorter journey times, and more available parking.

Media could upset result

From: Arthur Quarmby, Mill Moor Road, Meltham.

I HAVE a nasty feeling that this opportunist election just might backfire.

At the outset, we all knew that Jeremy Corbyn, with his Marxist viewpoint, would be a catastrophe as leader of our government.

However, since the announcement of the election, his image has been transformed – chiefly by the media with the BBC leading the way, lauding him daily and at length to the exclusion of other candidates, and partly by his own efforts. He is an effective public speaker and comes over as having a reasonable and well-balanced point of view.

I am sure that traditional Labour voters are going to have no difficulty in voting for him.

Thanks for speaking up

From: David Buick, York.

HOW uplifting to read Tom Richmond’s account (The Yorkshire Post, May 4) about the hospital porter who helped the recovery of jump jockey Declan Murphy from life-threatening injuries after a horrific fall.

Your columnist is right – who is speaking up for these unsung heroes?

The only person appears to be the Archbishop of York who decries voters being labelled as “ordinary, hardworking families”. If only Dr John Sentamu was standing for election.

Make EU pay for criminals

From: H Santiuste, Edenthorpe, Doncaster.

WHILST there are many EU nationals making valuable contributions to our economy, there are also several enjoying the hospitality of Her Majesty’s prisons.

As a sovereign nation we are entitled to make financial demands on the 27 countries who have burdened us with such enormous costs for maintenance, possible deportation and translation services. No doubt we could also offer to do a full audit of the European Commission’s accounts for a small fee!

From: Brian H Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

IT has been argued that if the SNP were to prevail in a second referendum, Scotland would never be welcomed as an independent country by the EU. If European chiefs are as odious and contemptible as some contend, might they not admit the Scots just to spite Westminster?

Browned off by ‘comedy’

From: Peter Hyde, Driffield.

LIKE others, I consider the BBC’s All Round to Mrs Brown’s to be a poor excuse for true entertainment and will never switch it on again. I consider people who get pleasure from such rubbish are morons who consider swearing funny. The ‘watershed’ just provides an excuse for unfunny ‘comedians’ to indulge in foul language.

Motorbikes vital on Tour

From: Edward Grainger, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough.

THERE is no doubt that there was an element of frustration to vehicular movements during the Tour de Yorkshire, but the show of anger aimed at the police motorbike riders covering the event was totally unwarranted.

The world’s top riders simply would boycott the event if they had to take their chances with the moving traffic that presents so many dangers.

Flight of fancy

From: Betty Henry, Doncaster.

IF taking one of the extra flights to China (The Yorkshire Post, Business, May 3) is beyond your budget and you are interested in China, the newly published Mountain Stories by Ye Guangquin had me chuckling as the wily inhabitants of a remote valley repeatedly frustrate the attempts by a film director to use them as extras.

Tall stories

From: June Wolfe, Halifax.

WITH regard to Britons being fibbers when it comes to naming books they have read, I seem to remember a long time ago when Boots sold books with a slip of paper between the pages of the latest Booker Prize winner. This said words to the effect that if the reader got so far and returned the slip they would be given £5.

The store’s money was safe as very few slips were returned!