Readers' letters - June 1

On the first May bank holiday, we nipped to The Range, Preston.

Traffic was heavy on the Ring Way and London Road. We finished our shopping and exited via Queen Street.

The traffic was gridlocked and my husband commented: “It’s Bank Holiday traffic.”

My reply was: “No, something must have happened to cause this.” He was proved right.

So I read with interest the new proposals for Fishergate.

County Coun John Fillis says “It is a resounding success.”

Not sure how he interprets this, if it is a resounding success why change it? Surely you leave such success alone?

Now for the changes to this resounding success – no right turn from Butler Street will probably work. All cars banned on Fishergate from Theatre Street. What happens to cars exiting from Fox Street, Mount Street and Theatre Street?

Where do they go?

Exiting from St George’s Car Park across the traffic on Fishergate down Chapel Street onto Avenham and Queen Street to London Road, back up to Ring Way, back into the city centre and ending up a few metres from where they started at the car park.

Unless you are going towards Walton-le-Dale, you have no alternative but to use this convoluting route. Does it make sense?

Buses and cars trying to join Ring Way from Lancaster Road will end up queuing to join the gridlock and, no doubt, the traffic lights at Ormskirk Road will be blocked by frustrated drivers on Ring Way. The Market Car Park exit will get blocked.

Therefore we could have two car parks you cannot exit from instead of just the one.

St George’s Car Park is already suffering and this will not help because the cars still have to join and cross Fishergate.

One retailer on Lune Street told me this will KILL St George’s Car Park. It does nothing to alleviate their problems, it 
only adds to the frustration.

Last Christmas, we had traffic organisers on Fishergate holding up paddles for STOP and GO, I observed the very casual way in which they operated and was horrified.

We need to be encouraging shoppers into our city on bank holidays and Christmas but we are simply scaring them away.

This resounding success has not brought new shops to Preston.

Pavement cafes, yes, if you want to risk a lorry or bus mounting the pavement near you.

Has there been any input from Lancashire Constabulary on the horrendous traffic situation and constant pavement parking or are they just not interested? Why is Lancashire County Council not listening to the concerns of shoppers, businesses and drivers and admitting they got it wrong?

Coun Christine Abram, Cottam and Lea

Brighter future for listed church

The ‘Concerned Ignatian’ who wrote the letter, Look after listed church, will know quite well that the ‘leaks in the (St Ignatius) church roof, sacristy and the living accommodation’ have been there for a very long time indeed (LEP Letters May 25).

In fact, only now since the site has been handed over to the care of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, has the diocese been able to bring the situation under control and to plan collaboratively – with the Syro-Malabar community and others – for the extensive renovation of the church and presbytery going forward. There is no question of demolition.

The future of St Ignatius church is much brighter than it was some 18 months ago but requires much work and support.

Perhaps the ‘Concerned Ignatian’ really knows all this – hence why they are not prepared to offer us their real identity.

Fr Robert Billing,

Bishop’s Secretary, secretary to the diocesan trustees & diocesan communications officer

Pensions in peril – but not for MPs

Prior to the predatory pilferings of the Mirror Groups pension fund by Robert Maxwell, I had always believed that workers’ pension funds were sacrosanct, safe from his type of fraudulent activity.

Following the failure of preventing such acts, successive Governments promised they would tighten perceived loopholes to ensure it would not happen again.

Since then other companies have raided pension funds with impunity. Governments have reduced pension entitlements, and encouraged private companies to do the same.

The latest threat is to reduce pensions to people already in receipt of them.

Significantly, one group which has not suffered similar activities, unlike ordinary workers, are – you’ve guessed it, Members of Parliament.

In the much vaunted spirit of we are all in this together, is it not time that they got on the Statute a Bill that will give us all a similar scheme to theirs?

Denis Lee, Ashton

Don’t give away my freedom

Could I have a few words with the voters of the ‘in’ campaign?

I do not mind them giving away their own freedom, the trouble is they are giving mine away as well.

This they can’t do, as it is not theirs to give, too many have fought and died for it.

In 1997, the German chancellor Helmut Kohl said in two years’ time, withdrawal from the European Union will be irreversible. When listening to our Prime Minister, it appears he has achieved his goal.

I leave you with the words of our great Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill: “We are with Europe but not of it, we are linked but not compromised, we are interested and associated but not absorbed. If Britain must choose between Europe and the open sea, she must always choose the open sea.”

Tom Roberts via email

Let us return to top of the league

Let us do a Leicester City and return to the top of the league, governed from Westminster and not Brussels.

RS Pearson, address supplied