Roundabout way to respect rules of road

The junction is already a source of conflict partly due to the poor behaviour of drivers leaving Newmarket Street. Many seem to believe that Newmarket Street traffic has right of way over traffic entering town on Otley Road and approach the roundabout with no intention of stopping.

Perhaps this is in the mistaken belief that the ‘give way to traffic from the right’ rule applies. It does not. Roundabouts are not crossroads with ‘major’ and ‘minor’ road designations – there is no hierarchy and all roads are equal. he rules governing roundabouts are those marked on the tarmac – the ‘give way’ markings. Hence: 1 Approach the roundabout prepared to stop – i.e. give way 2 Give way to traffic on the roundabout 3 Only when traffic has complied with 1 and 2 and there is more than one stationary car at the junction, give way to the vehicle on the right.

Thus it would be correct for a vehicle on Otley Road, having complied with 1 and 2, to enter the roundabout even with traffic on Newmarket Street approaching the junction, because rule 2 requires the Newmarket Street traffic to give way. It’s really not that difficult!

However, many of the drivers leaving town for Shortbank Road appear to be ignorant of 1 and 2 and approach so fast that drivers on other roads are reluctant to enter the junction. This hesitancy then rewards the ignorant by leaving the junction empty for them; thus reinforcing their poor behaviour. It may be that only by drivers on other roads being more decisive will the behaviour of those on Newmarket Street improve?

I may of course be wrong, and it’s not ignorance but simply brutish behaviour, in which case this solution would be brave indeed.

But in any case the construction and additional traffic will not improve the situation. Perhaps ‘Give Way’ signs would? Any other suggestions?

PS Behaviour at other roundabouts in the area isn’t much better either!

Alan Tatham Fallow Field Skipton.

Sir - For more than 120 years there have been allotments behind St Johns Row, Langcliffe.

The allotments have fed many families over the years, including two world wars, and given pleasure to many.

At 7am on Monday, January 5, a large industrial digger, after taking walls down, obliterated the allotments.

This took two days to achieve. The land will now become part of a larger field and feed sheep. I wonder if they will get as much satisfaction and food from the land that so many residents of Langcliffe have tended over the years.

Ian and Barbara Johnson St Johns Row Langcliffe.

Sir - Mr Speakman may be surprised to learn that I admire his initiative in creating a community bus group using volunteers on Sundays.

He may also be surprised that I am also in full support of his condemnation of spiv bankers and multinational tax dodgers.

In 2013 I received a personal letter from the Chancellor of the Exchequer thanking me for ‘bringing to his attention’ the £1 billion tax-dodging activities of our water industry, which I exposed to the press.

That £1 billion should start flowing back to the Treasury now that the (fast asleep) chief executive of Ofwat (the water industry regulator) has been moved on.

Sadly, Mr Speakman says (Craven Herald, Jan 1) that £1 billion is a ‘trivial cost’ to the tax player. Crikey! My maths shows that sum is equivalent to 30,000 extra staff for the NHS. As he says: “We all have choices.” NHS or free buses?

So at this point I part company with Mr Speakman.

Mr Speakman tells us (Craven Herald, December 4) that the 2008 Government promised free bus passes to every pensioner. Unsurprisingly, this promise was ‘uncosted’, ‘unaffordable’ and ‘unsustainable’.

Six years later, councils in Britain are drowning in claims for free passes from a rapidly ageing population. No revenue equals no buses.

Mr Speakman offers no solutions, and instead writes meaninglessly about the ‘better off’’, the ‘affluent’ residents in the Dales, and even describing Wharfedale farmers as ‘selfish and feudal’ in another newspaper. How is all this vitriol going to help our pensioners if there is no bus?

Fortunately, North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) have not buried their heads in the sand and have identified large numbers of pensioner tourists using our buses, and who do not pay rates in our county. Effectively we are subsidising these tourists and disadvantaging our own residents. Fifteen of theses Sunday services will now start charging these people. A first step in raising badly needed revenue.

NYCC’s public consultation also revealed that “large numbers of respondents say they would be prepared to pay a fare rather than receive a free journey”. It is therefore no surprise that our council and the bus operators are ‘in unison’ and jointly calling for urgent reform of the ‘unfit for purpose’ national concessionary bus scheme, as are most councils in Britain. Pensioners do not get free travel on trains, why buses?

The law now needs to be changed to ensure that the ‘free loaders’ become ‘fare loaders’. Only then can we save our rural bus services from extinction.

It is time to close this debate with Mr Speakman until further decisions are made, meanwhile I await his ‘damascene moment’.

Peter Rigby Beamsley.

Sir - On behalf of Candlelighters fighting children’s cancer and leukaemia at Leeds General Infirmary, may I again convey a “most sincere thank-you” to all who kindly contributed to my annual festive season charity “banter blitz” around the district’s pubs and hostelries.

One bloke, one bucket but one truly fantastic display of people’s generosity which on this latest occasion realised another magnificent amount, £3,807.88.

Thank you also to the respective mine hosts and managements for again allowing me to collect on their premises.

Details of how all fundraising money is spent in terms of research, treatment of patients and remedial care, can be found in the Candlelighter’s quarterly magazine of which I have quite a number of back issues, should anyone wish to peruse.

Meanwhile, thanks once again all you wonderful folk, and Happy New Year to you all!

Roger Ingham MBE Aldersley Avenue Skipton.

Sir - The Rotary Club of Skipton Craven would like to thank the residents and visitors to Skipton and surrounding areas for their generous donations when we undertook three Christmas collection activities: Santa supermarket collections, roll a penny stand at the Grassington Dickensian festival and Santa sleigh events.

We collected just over £8,000, up nine per cent on last year. The monies will be distributed in due course to rotary charities, local charities and worthy causes such as Sue Ryder and Air ambulance.

We thank the Skipton supermarkets, Tesco and Morrison, for allowing us to make collections outside their stores.

The Rotary Club wishes all a Happy New Year.

Clive Jolliffe Communications chairman for Rotary Club Skipton Craven Eastburn.

Sir - Malcolm Birks’ letter in last week’s Craven Herald (January 8) is a classic example of why Labour should never again be trusted with this country’s economy.

After all, since Clement Attlee’s premiership, under five Prime Ministers in total, they have never managed to leave the country in a better financial state than they found it.

He seems to forget that it was his party that left this country in such a mess in 2010 which resulted in the current Government having to spend the next four years starting the clean-up.

It is only now that we are getting back to a sound financial footing with 1.75 million more people in work, 760,000 more businesses and the deficit substantially reduced.

Locally our excellent and incredibly hard-working MP, Julian Smith, is supporting libraries, community centres and bus services as regularly documented in the Craven Herald. One assumes that Mr Birks has read these news items.

Voters will have a clear choice in May - to continue on the road to a stronger economy or to go back to Labour’s disastrous financial management of the country with Prime Minister Miliband.

They should not be taken in by the suggestion that only the Labour Party care about the NHS. “Weaponising” the NHS, Ed Miliband’s ghastly and offensive word, as an election issue should be totally counter-productive.

Serious proposals need to be put forward across non-party lines as to how the service should be organised and funded at a time when something which is so special is under intense pressure.

John D Clark Colton House Burnsall.

Sir - I see that Julian Smith MP wants to discuss the matter of more professional support for Skipton Library the next time he meets Richard Flinton, the chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council (MP’s plea for library to receive its support, January 8).

Why does he think this is the best way to influence the council’s proposal for more volunteer-run community libraries when he could go directly to Conservative councillor Chris Metcalfe who is the executive member with responsibility for library services?

The chief executive only works for the council; it is the councillors who give strategic direction and make the final decisions.

On the other hand, if Julian Smith really wants to help Skipton Library (and the rest of the library service) he could use his position as MP to convince his government to restore this latest round of cuts to local government budgets.

Geraldine Reardon The Green Settle.

Sir - As 2014 has just ended, I think you may have a responsibility to your readership to announce what I can only deduce has been an informal, in-house competition over the years for the annual Craven Herald Best Self-Publicist Award.

Is it last year’s winner Julian Smith (MP), Councillor David Whipp (Barnoldswick) or Andrew Mallinson (local councillor and parish clerk)?

My money is on dark horse Mr Mallinson who, it would appear, has wrestled the award away from perennial co-winners Messrs Smith and Whipp, in an end of year flurry of self-publicity.

I anxiously await your announcement.

Robert Kandt Bracewell.

Sir - I am a fan of a once hugely famous but now forgotten lyric tenor called Robert Naylor, who owned a studio to give singing lessons between 1940 and 1968. He came from Harrogate, where he made a huge name for himself.

Robert toured all of Britain in musicals and made over 100 10-inch 78s.

His claim to fame was appearing as a Chinese prince in the Franz Lehar operetta “The Land of Smiles,” for almost all of its entire run.

In semi-retirement, when he gave singing lessons, he made special teaching records, 78s and 45s, to help his students gain perfect pitch.

Titles include “Vilia”, “Alice Blue Gown”, “Sometimes”, “One Day My Prince Will COme”, “The Blue Danube”, “Me and My Girl” and thousands more.

I urgently need lots of Robert’s teaching 78s and 45s. Although they still exist they rarely co me on the market. They’re worth nothing in money terms, historically they’re so important.

Diane Wood 18 Downside Crescent Allerton Bradford BD15 7LE.

Sir - As cold weather approaches, we should be aware that wild animals may search for warmth and sustenance within our homes. And, if they can get easy access and find sufficient food for the winter months, who could blame them?

Animal Aid would encourage people who do find a squirrel in their attic or a mouse in their kitchen not to panic and call in ‘pest’ controllers. The traps and poisons they use can cause prolonged agony to animals and do nothing to solve the underlying reasons why that animal moved in.

Instead, we ask people who have an unwanted house guest to take a few practical steps to encourage that animal to move on.

To that end, Animal Aid has produced a series of free fact sheets to help local residents deter squirrels and rodents from their homes, as well as foxes, moles and birds from their gardens.

The fact sheets can be ordered free of charge from info@animalaid.org.uk or by calling 01732 364546 - please state if there is a specific species you require information about.

Kate Fowler Animal Aid, Tonbridge.