'New homes, road delays and dangers'

A journey from Preston recently, that usually takes 15 minutes, lasted 45 minutes.

I was sat in motionless traffic due to the extensive roadworks created by building sites.

This story repeats itself every morning and evening now unless you are fortunate enough to be able to leave home earlier or stay at work later.

Obviously this is not available to families with childcare issues or school runs to complete.

Aside from the inconvenience, I witnessed an ambulance, with blue lights flashing, struggling to drive down the single carriageway caused by roadworks, hence this is also dangerous for the emergency services.

Once the roadworks are complete and the new houses inhabited, we then have the problem of an increase in the number of motor vehicles on the same single carriageway road, crossing the single bridge at Grimsargh.

Surely this is going to result in even more delays and potentially more accidents.

I am intrigued to know if the council has any answers to the current traffic issues. What are their long-term plans?

Tracy Young

Longridge resident

brexit

We should have a say

You reported that our councils will be voting on “a call for a second referendum” (LP October 17).

The article then goes on to explain that it’s actually a vote on the terms of the Brexit deal.

I have been campaigning for several months now locally for a People’s Vote. Quite a few people say they are against a second referendum, but do support a People’s Vote on the deal.

There is an important distinction.

Another vote based on promises and wishful thinking would indeed be pointless and make a mockery of the first vote.

People have a right to see what has been negotiated, hear the facts of what this will mean for the NHS, local services and jobs, then vote on whether to accept it or not.

It should be mandatory that our county council carry out impact assessments on our local businesses and services and, given the lack of progress and in-fighting in the government, put pressure on MPs to support the people, signing off on any deal.

It’s our futures they are haggling over, it’s only right we have a say,

Jane Twyman

Lancaster

law

It’s not right to break the law

My heart-felt sympathies go out to the elderly disabled pensioner from Plumpton, who spent 90 minutes struggling to get home during a Preston New Road lorry blockade.

This was among the most striking evidence presented to Preston Crown Court during the trial of three anti-fracking protesters.

No matter how strongly against something you are, those feelings can never be an excuse to break the law or to cause harm to others.

If we start saying it’s okay to break the law because of how we feel about something, justice would become a joke. So much misery was caused by this four-day so-called ‘peaceful protest’.

Commuters were delayed, local businesses lost trade and customers were inconvenienced.

All this was regarded by the activists as nothing more than ‘collateral damage’.

Well, it was damage that came at a huge cost – to the local community, to the Lancashire taxpayers, who have to foot the policing costs, and the activists, who were sentenced to jail.

Name and address supplied

law

An unwise thing to say...

Re: Senior judges’ pay rise and £2m cost of Royal wedding. Was that a wise thing (two things actually) for John Appleyard to ‘say’ so publicly (LP Letters, Inequality highlighted, October 16)?

Just because his address wasn’t published doesn’t mean that ‘they’ haven’t the means... And when they do come calling, and he finally appears before the judge (thank the Lord for habeas corpus), he should expect little mercy from the (allegedly) ‘over- paid’ Bench.

Anon

health

Pills don’t help loneliness

Good to hear that prescription of social activities is finally gaining ground with GPs, instead of doling out pills when the basic problem is loneliness. Meeting with others brings many benefits, as well as dispelling loneliness. Ditch the pills, and save the NHS thousands.

Hilary Andrews

via email