Sir - I have just read Steve Lowe’s article on the Bromham Bridge. I laughed to read that the partial closure has ‘pleased nobody’.
Attached is a photograph of my little boy enjoying the sights from the bridge for the first time in his life, before walking across to enjoy the river path at the Biddenham end. Previously, I was prepared to risk myself in the ‘dance of death’ with traffic but never my children.
We live in Bromham only two minutes from the bridge but to travel the few hundred yards to Biddenham,we had to drive.
I am far from alone; when I commute back across the bridge I now see plenty of people on foot and bikes, even prams, enjoying the bridge and the unexpected freedom to cross from Bromham to Biddenham. Pleased nobody? Just look at the big increase in pedestrians and cyclists using the bridge and ask them why they never used it before!
T Taylor
Bromham
Peddling the right message
Sir - Just to let you know that I for one am delighted that the bridge closure is being considered.
Your 'One way bridge option not well received' is certainly incorrect. I observed this morning at 7.40am six cyclists in six minutes going over the bridge. In this time of environmental awareness your historical note from a resident who has always been able to cross the bridge in their car is irrelevant.
Shouldn't we be trying to encourage people to get out of their cars and reduce the pollution of cars on our roads. The barrier is not particularly attractive, but anyone with with any foresight can surely see that this is a temporary fixture? I'm looking forward to enjoying the full closure of the bridge and those six people too must have felt the same.
Christine Clark
Address supplied
Sir - Politicians, be they local or national,really do sometimes speak claptrap.
In last week’s BoS article on the current trials on Bromham bridge, Councillor Tom Wootton said reasons for the ugly new metal barrier along its length included safety for pedestrians and for the county council’s own workforce.
Why wasn’t Cllr Wootton concerned about the safety of pedestrians before the one-way experiment, when the bridge was two-way and therefore doubly dangerous for pedestrians? And safety for his workforce? What workforce? I found it intriguing that when the county asked for the views of we Bromham residents about the bridge, we were invited to ‘vote’ for two options – total closure, or one-way traffic.
The obvious third option, to keep the bridge open to two-way traffic and one which I suspect a vast majority of Bromham residents would support, wasn’t even offered.
I don’t normally see reds under the bed (in any case, they’re mostly Greens these days), but it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that these trials are a mere charade and it’s already a done deal.
Geoff Courtney
Tollgate Close, Bromham
Faith works
Sir - I have been following with interest the correspondence generated by the article by MP Alistair Burt.
I wonder if any of the numerous correspondents who react so negatively to any suggestion of faith, particularly Christian faith, in public life have ever realised or considered that hospitals, universities, schools, the abolition of slavery, even the Trades Union movement, and many major aid agencies such as Red Cross, Oxfam and Christian Aid all have their roots in the Christian faith? The Rev Steve Chalke MBE says in his book Faithworks ‘Social reform is about far more than resources and externals.
Real change comes from within. The greatest poverty our nation faces is a poverty of hope. That’s why Christian faith is potent. Faith transforms lives and that’s why faith works’.
I commend the ‘Faithworks’ website
to all your readers.
J Sancto
Purbeck Close, Bedford
No need to inflict pain
Sir - I found Steve Lowe's remarks in his column very snide last week.
Examine his assertion that 'The normal animal lover's criteria that something is only worth saving if it is cute'. People concerned for the welfare of animals are not against the killing of rodents, bugs, flies etc, which pose a threat to humas but to do so by deliberately inflicting great pain is something to which they greatly object.
He mentions crabs and their wellbeing.
There is no need for them to be crammed into buckets, so why do it? Man has much to answer for in his treatment not only of his fellow man, but in his attitude towards animals, both domesticated and wild.
A Green
The Buntings, Bedford
Shot in the arm
Sir - I am sad that ‘a concerned parishioner’ has seen fit to use your pages to attack Rev Mark-Aaron Tisdale because he shoots.
I declare my interest in that I am honoured to have the acquaintance of the Reverend Tisdale and also that I am a shooter.
That being said, while I am not a regular churchgoer I think I can claim to be a better Christian than someone prepared to criticise a man behind his back and without the courage to give her name.
I have shot since I was 13 and was from that age trained and encouraged by my Government to do so. In all the time that has passed I have never killed anything. For me, shooting is a sport that requires intense concentration and dedication to overcome the elements and one’s own physical limitations to hit an inanimate target at great distance.
The guns I use are no more killing machines to me than are the javelin, disc and hammer thrown by athletes.
Tony Jeeves
Lemsford Lane, Welwyn Garden City
Feel free to leave
Sir - It made my blood boil to hear loads of cash is being poured into communities with the strongest Muslim presence,to see if their hearts and minds can be won.
This is completely unfair to all other religions and people living in other areas in need of a cash injection to improve their lives.
I have a far better idea. Tell these people, in no uncertain terms, if they don’t like this country, feel free to leave and go and live where the people share their values and ideals.
This would make them, and us, far happier and more content.
JM Fishlock
Bedford Road, Cranfield
Sir - I applaud the success of the interfaith community work going on in Queens Park,and welcome Jay Macleod’s statement about money being directed towards community relations rather than only Muslims, which would surely be divisive.
When Bedford Council of Faiths put on a series of lively discussion evenings last year on topics such as religion and politics, Islam in Europe and the environment (Whose Planet?), the turnout of young Muslims was impressive and they were asking for more such opportunities for debate and discussion in the town. This would surely benefit us all.
Could non-alcoholic cafes with a wide ranging programme of speakers and discussions (philosophy cafes) bring people of all backgrounds together to share ideas and understanding and add a new ingredient to the culture of our town?
Heather Mitchell
Lely Close, Bedford
Waters still muddy
Sir - I note in Mr Branston’s letter last week his clarification as to sums of money lent to Nirah by the county council.
This now stands at £1.6million, if I have it right, plus the £2million from EEDA. Rather less than the £5 million I had calculated.
Although not in favour of the Nirah project because of the way it is being financed, I have no wish to exaggerate the financial exposure. Nevertheless, Nirah asked for a further £1million, which, had it been granted, would have exceeded the agreed loan ceiling.
There is still, at least as far as the public is concerned, a lack of transparency concerning Nirah’s finances.
It would be helpful if clear accounting was provided, thus avoiding mistakes and misunderstandings.
J Addison
Mill Lane, Sandy
Parking puzzle
Sir - I recently decided that I would enjoy some of the summer evening sun and join a guided walk in Bedford town centre.
While I cannot fault the efforts of the tourist information, I wish the rest of the council could be congratulated.
It appears during the day, when I have the choice of using a bus or driving into town, I can use Riverside Square car park for two hours and be charged £1.40.
However after 7pm the car park charge is £2 a visit (last time I used a surface car park in the evening it was free). I assume the extra revenue of charging during the evenings will eventually be used by the council to improve public transport when it takes over the portfolio next year.
I noticed that the council car park was being used, I imagine by council employees, who I also guess do not pay for visiting the council car park in the evening.
Noel Shaw
Normandy Close, Kempston
Criminal incompetence
Sir - There was recently a deeply disturbing report about a big increase in the hospital-acquired infection C Diff which killed more than 6,000 people in 2006-2007.
The implication is that anyone entering hospital for even minor procedures, risks a squalid and distressing death from an infection which only occurs on this scale in UK.
In view of the colossal amounts of money channelled into the NHS and that the poor staff in affected wards are at their wits end to know how to cope, does this situation, which the Government promised to tackle years ago, not indicate a monumental, near-criminal, degree of incompetence from those running the NHS?
John Forster
The Avenue, Flitwick
Don’t be over-confident
Sir - Firstly, allow me to congratulate Dave Turton (Life in the fast lane) on having passed his driving test with only six hours of tuition.
No doubt his Go-Kart experience was invaluable in building his confidence and practising his steering ability.
However, there the similarity between karting and driving a real car on real roads ends.
Well publicised figures show that just over half a million under 25s pass their driving test each year. The worrying statistic is that some 20 per cent of these will have an accident within the first six months after qualifying.
For a young male at age of 17, the statistics are even more terrifying.
Something like one in three will be involved in a write-off accident within the first six months.
Why? Well, that’s the 64,000 dollar question.
Do we need to make the test harder? The UK currently has one of the toughest driving tests in Europe. So, that’s not the answer. This is why the Government’s Department For Transport has recently launched a 70-page consultative paper Learning to Drive.
At the moment there are many factors under consideration.
One of the key points is that the driving test focuses too narrowly on vehicle control. The very area in which Dave Turton clearly excels. It also points to the fact that newly qualified drivers can be over-confident and over-estimate their own ability. I sincerely hope that Dave doesn’t fall into that trap.
Learning to drive is not just about learning to pass a test. A test lasts for between 30 and 40 minutes and is simply a ‘snap shot’ of one’s performance.
It demonstrates that you can perform some pretty basic manoeuvres and have a passing knowledge of the rules of the road.
Frankly, I believe that it beggars belief that any driving instructor would recommend a learner to take a driving test after only six hours of ‘tuition’. You might, exceptionally, be able to pass a test in that time but learning to drive takes much longer.
For impartial advice visit
Paul Burchell
Chairman Bedford And District Driving Instructors Association
Nadine the stirrer
Sir – Oh dear,more hot air from Nadine Dorries. What a waste of print.
Instead of welcoming the minister’s visit to Marston Vale she chooses to continue to vilify the woman and stir up anti- Government feelings.
Surely, if the minister has chosen to come to the area, whether that be a last minute decision or otherwise, that is exactly what the objectors want.
I would rather have the minister here than the shadow minister visit as suggested by Mrs Dorries at the Lidlington meeting last week.
This visit will give Mrs Dorries the ideal opportunity to speak rationally with the minister and convey to her the concerns of the local populus.
Or is Mrs Dorries afraid that the minister’s visit will in effect be so successful that it completely takes the hot air out of Dorries’ balloon?
Keith Cox
Watson Way, Marston Moretaine
Sir – I am disappointed that the MP for Mid Beds has responded to the proposed eco-towns by attacking rather than engaging with the housing minister.
Rather than peddle misinformation, I would like to outline the four-stage consultation process that has just begun. Stage one is a three - month preliminary consultation which ends in late June.
Stage two is a further more detailed consultation over the summer. Stage three is the final short listing later this year. Stage four the submission of a planning application.
I am deeply concerned by any proposed housing development, particularly where it is out of proportion to existing villages, facilities and infrastructure.
During stage two I will be campaigning heavily to ensure that the consultation is far reaching and that the views of residents and small business owners are heard.
If they are not, I will work with action groups to launch a legal challenge to the consultation process, or a judicial review of the final short listing.
Now is our opportunity to shape the proposals into intelligent plans with respect for both the countryside and existing development. We must also press the council to make better use of the 1.3 per cent of existing homes in Mid Beds which are empty for extended periods of time.
David Reeves
Labour ProspectiveParliamentary Candidate for Mid Beds
Sir – The Housing Minister,Caroline Flint came to visit the Marston Vale Eco Town site on Monday, June 16.
Mrs Flint’s office contacted our local MP Nadine Dorries just before 5pm on Friday, June 13, to notify her of the intended visit. It would appear that Mrs Flint does not want to advertise the fact that she is visiting these sites, to sneak in and out, without engaging with the local population for fear of meeting with local objection to her poorly considered schemes! A public meeting held at Lidlington Village Hall on Thursday, June 12, to present and discuss the proposed developments was attended by more than 200 people.
This presentation was instigated by the Lidlington Action Group and was fully supported by Nadine Dorries who addressed those assembled.
The unanimous opinion was that the proposed ‘Eco Town’ developments should not go ahead. Unlike a number of the other Eco Town sites proposed in England, Lidlington/Marston Vale does not have any high profile celebrities resident to champion its cause.
The proposed developments of approx 15,400 homes, in addition to the quota already imposed on the area by central Government, will swamp the village and create an urban corridor linking Bedford to Milton Keynes along the A421.
There has been no local engagement by the developers and the feeling is that if any of the 15 Eco Town sites are selected as one of the ten to go forward, then these developments will by-pass the local planning process and be, tacitly, granted outline planning permission.
Andrew Weeks
Lidlington Action Group Editor: Our reporter attempted to attend this meeting but was barred by Mrs Flint’s staff.