Lorries pose a real safety threat

Whilst going up towards Clifton on Wednesday morning I was not only passed by many lorries, including one bunch of four, but a Safeway articulated lorry and a 732 bus being driven by a very cautious lady driver heading for Blubberhouses.

The road C234 was never built for motorway traffic. Evidence is easy to see by the huge pot holes on Carr Bank and the gullies by the hospital which flow as rivers in the rain.

Clearly, apart from the lorries, these provide serious additional hazards. If the hill down from the moor were a trunk road like the A59 down to Bolton Bridge a runway slip stop would exist, yet a similar descent heading for a town has nothing.

A possible solution would be: all minor roads access only and HGVs having to go along the first A road they meet on the journey. This would mean that the lorries from Greenhow would have to use the A59, which is designed for such vehicles, with a proper surface not a poor country lane with chippings (what's left) surface.

Please check for yourself the holes on Carr Bank and damage to recently resurfaced roads leading into town.

John Morgan

77 St Richards Road,

Otley.

Pupils' welfare

SIR, - I am writing in response to the letter from Amy Walton in last week's paper. As another former pupil of both All Saints C of E Infant and Junior Schools and a resident of the Cambridge Estate, I feel that I must disagree with her.

It was pointed out that Lisker Drive has enclosed grounds. In order to accommodate the proposed number of pupils and provide a car park for the increased number of staff, much of these grounds would be lost. The school as it stands does not have the facilities and was not designed for 11-year-olds.

Extensive building work would therefore be necessary. The last time the school required extra space it erected temporary portable buildings which leaked and swayed in the wind (I know this because I was taught in one for a year. Twelve years later they were still there.

The town centre location is ideal for the proposed C of E primary school. It is convenient for pupils from all corners of Otley.

It is within walking distance of the swimming Pool and although Garnetts field is not ideal, there is nowhere at Lisker Drive for older children to enjoy team games such as football or rounders.

There is also adequate parking, which is free after 6pm, for parents attending evening functions such as parents' evenings and concerts. It worries me greatly that an increased number of parents will park on both side of Lisker Drive more frequently than current parents already do.

The final consideration must be the traffic situation on the Cambridge Estate. As I am sure many residents will agree, traffic levels between 8.30am and 9am are horrendous. The roads are narrow and access via Cambridge Street and Albion Street cannot cope with an increased volume of traffic.

In an emergency it is unlikely that an ambulance or fire engine would not encounter problems. Clearly this is not an acceptable place to put an enlarged school because for this reason alone the safety of the children cannot be guaranteed.

It is the children's welfare that is the most important factor after all.

Sarah Baker

Cambridge Drive,

Otley.

Blooming great!

SIR, - May I, through the columns of your newspaper, thank both the members of the Britain in Bloom Committee and all those members of the public who have helped in this year's spring entry to the competition.

We are all particularly hopeful of a big improvement in our position over last year, and not without justification, as the committee has grown from a core of about three to a much healthier nine members and we have been able to start doing some of the longer term projects which have been on the table for some time.

In particular , a lot of work has gone on in restoring Gas Board Corner on

Cambridge Street and the Chamber of Trade has replaced the planters on Beech Hill.

The programme for the judges was completely redone and was a big success.

There are still more, exciting, projects to be worked on and we would welcome more new members to the team. Please call Les Cross at the Civic Centre for more

information.

On the weekend before the spring judging, we were particularly impressed with a turnout of 15 volunteers to help in a tidy-up along the route.

Again, many thanks here, and I don't know whether I should be pleased or exasperated when the volunteers collected 50 bags of rubbish and litter in a couple of hours.

Pleased because of the effort put in or exasperated by the fact that people do not seem to have any pride and just drop litter anywhere, or by the fact that the council is not as effective as it should be in keeping Otley clean. This latter point is under discussion with the council

But thanks to everybody again

Coun Lawrence Ross

Chairman,

Britain in Bloom.

Eggs thanks 1 ...

SIR, - Just a note to thank you most sincerely for the two boxes of Easter eggs you have so kindly sent tot he Children's Unit at Airedale General Hospital.

These are most appreciated and a real treat for the children on the ward.

Wishing all at the Wharfedale Observer a very happy Easter.

Helen Knapman

Children's Services Manager,

Women and Children's

Health Services,

Airedale NHS Trust,

Skipton Road,

Steeton.

... Eggs thanks 2

SIR, - On behalf of the staff and children of all the Paediatric Wards here at Bradford Royal Infirmary, I would like to thank your newspaper for its very kind donation of Easter eggs. It goes without saying that Easter Sunday was all the more enjoyable and the children (and staff) really enjoyed the treat. Once again, thanks for your generosity and support.

Jym Bates

Service Nurse Manager,

Children and Neonatal Services,

Bradford Royal Infirmary,

Duckworth Lane,

Bradford.

Editor's note: Wharfedale Newspapers would like to thank the Tesco supermarket in Ilkley for supplying the Easter Eggs, and all the local businesses who sponsored them, for their generosity.

Plan rejected

SIR, - The Secretary of State has rejected Leeds City Council's Unitary Development Plan on the grounds that it does not make sufficient provision to develop brownfield sites ahead of local green belt.

Surely it is time for the council to stop vacillating and call a public meeting now in order to start the process of developing a new plan?

My colleague, Councillor Clive Fox, has been vindicated in his call for the plan to be rejected. His proposal was opposed by Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors who voted to press ahead with the flawed plan.

At the time I commented that only our local Conservative councillors were prepared to take real action to preserve our vital green spaces. Clive and I will continue to fight to maintain the separate identities of communities like Bramhope, Adel, Rawdon, Pool and Otley.

Conservatives will continue to fight for Britain's green belt. The next Conservative Government will abolish John Prescott's Nation House Building Targets which drive green belt development within weeks of taking office.

Adam Pritchard

Conservative Prospective

Parliamentary Candidate,

Leeds North-West,

3 The Parade,

Breary Lane,

Bramhope.

Call to veterans

SIR, - On Sunday, July 8, starting at 10am, the Yorkshire Air Museum will be holding its second Airborne Forces Day. May I, through your pages, invite any of your readers who are veterans of the Parachute Regiment, Glider Pilot Regiment, Airborne Engineers or many other infantry and specialist units who wore the famous' Red Beret' to come along and meet many hundreds of their old comrades.

The museum is a charity and is also the only Allied Air Forces Memorial in Europe. We are grateful to the Glider Pilot, Parachute and Royal Engineers Associations plus 16 Air Assault Brigade and the Hartenstein Airborne Museum at Arnhem for their tremendous support in preparing for this event again this year.

The day will include the Red Arrows, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, gliders, parachutists, displays, drum head service and march pasts, plus military bands and much more.

With help from the Royal Engineers we will be undertaking a full size re-enactment of the famous storming of Pegasus Bridge on D-Day 1944. If you are a former Red Devil or are simply interested in what airborne forces have achieved, you will be most welcome.

Ian Reed

Museum Director,

Yorkshire Air Museum,

Halifax Way,

Elvington, York..

Euro dragon

SIR, - St George's Day gives us an opportunity to reflect on England and its future.The real St George was not a dragon-slayer, but was martyred by the Romans for refusing to worship their Emperor.

Today's version is an Englishman,who finds himself in court for not selling bananas by the kilo. The judge said that European law had replaced English.

The Scots and Welsh can identify themselves as such on their Government census forms, a courtesy not extended to the English. And the EU's map does not mention 'England' but instead lists nine 'Regions' that Brussels wants to establish. The Government has said it will push ahead with regional parliaments where there is demand. But the only 'demand' comes from Europe, which is hardly surprising when their role will be to promote EU programmes.

These paper-pushing palaces will be part-appointed, part-elected. They will be a drain on the taxpayer, just as the GLA prototype, wanted by less than a quarter of Londoners, is starting to be.

'Modernising' government is basically just another word for continentalisation. Such is the Government's zeal that it will shortly try to sell it to us in a series of roadshows, grandiosely known as Constitutional Conventions.Anyone wanting more information should write to me, with SAE.

Jenny Sleep (Mrs.)

New Alliance,

PO Box 13199,

London SW6 6ZU.