Readers' letters - May 25

Don't turn this area into giant car park

I write regarding your article, Proposed Ikea hit by traffic snag (LP May 11).

Lostock Hall, Bamber Bridge and surrounding roads already struggle to cope with the volume of traffic now.

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I tried to go across the junction from Wigan Road to Station Road, Bamber Bridge, on Friday afternoon at 2.45pm.

I sat through four traffic light changes. It took ten minutes for the traffic to move.

On Monday, May 15, 8.45am, my journey to Strand Road took 45 minutes instead of 20.

Lostock Hall and Bamber Bridge are notorious bottlenecks.

On Sunday afternoon, my journey from Leyland Road, The Cawsey, to Lostock Lane took 20 minutes.

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What happens when Vernon’s old factory site has over 300 houses built on it?

Where is the exit road for these properties?

Leyland Road, following the demolition of Sumpter Horse.

Your article states 4,500 jobs will be lost.

If this plan goes through, does that mean there will be, approximately, 4,000 cars just for workers, plus 120 homes and their cars, not to mention the thousands of people going to Ikea?

The mind boggles.

Why not use the empty Tesco shop at the Capitol Centre, Walton-le-Dale?

Make it bigger (higher) for Ikea.

The M6 – the least problem on that and all hell breaks loose. Just listen to BBC traffic and travel news at peak travel times.

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It always states there is very slow moving traffic through Farrington Lane, Bamber Bridge, Lostock Hall and Lostock Lane.

Please don’t turn this area into a giant car park, it’s not far off being just that at peak times.

At peak times, the AA website’s traffic news shows thick red lines all round this area, depicting slow-moving traffic. This is every working day.

I’m not a NIMBY – just a realist.

Mr Hoban

Address supplied

safety

Bus station a safety concern

You were recently good enough to publish my letter concerning the livestock auction similarity with the bus station, as passengers are herded off their buses between barriers in order to access the concourse (LP Letters, May 16).

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I am afraid that recent events at Manchester Arena have caused me to revisit the concern that I expressed in that letter and, this time, it is the complete opposite of getting into the bus station, but exiting it in the case of an emergency. Here also I am going to assume that the revamp of the bus station is complete and that the west bus apron is now the piazza.

Whenever one is designing anything these days, a risk assessment has to be made taking, as its base, the worst case scenario. Thus, let us assume that a bomb has exploded on the concourse of the bus station.

Here one is so vividly reminded of what people do in such a situation, with much footage captured on mobile phones showing thousands of people fleeing the scene of devastation in utter panic and in all directions from the bomb at Manchester Arena.

One may thus assume that should a bomb go off on the concourse of the bus station, people would do likewise.

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Some passengers may be lucky and have the opportunity to flee onto the piazza but the rest will be faced with fleeing east out of the bus station and into multiple areas penned off with metal and concrete barriers and a 4m high bus blocking their path.

We all know too well what happens when you pen in too many people. Have the deaths of 96 taught the planners nothing?

Thus I would like someone to respond and explain to the bus travelling public just what are their plans in case of an emergency evacuation and one which will take place in a matter of seconds? From my point of view, by the time that security staff can act and get into place, deaths will have already occurred.

Why not do what another form of transport does to its passengers? When they are all sat down in their form of transport, they are told that exits are here, here and here.

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In the event of the plane ditching in the sea, life jackets are situated under one’s seat. There are even instructions in the seat pockets. So why haven’t pamphlets been issued now to bus passengers using the bus station?

But more importantly, just how are you going to prevent the deaths of many who run into those multiple penned areas? Just what are the plans of escape from these death traps? As LCC now owns the bus station, what do their health and safety people think about the design? Have they raised no concerns?

Let me also put some credentials about me. I was the H&S rep at my school and, among other things, I uncovered a major problem with ROSLA blocks: asbestos sheeting in the footwells of the blocks. These were built in many schools around the county and a full inspection of all of them had to take place. I was also a science teacher.

Thus I was, and still am, safety conscious. I am not paranoid but, when I do see a safety issue, I will raise it. Sadly I cannot raise these barriers, nor a mega-tonne bus! Answers please whoever is responsible, or do you not care about passengers’ safety?

Neil Swindlehurst

Walmer Bridge

nostalgia

We beat Atkis’ team 21-0

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I am writing to you in respect of the letter in the Post (LP May 9) entitled Nostalgia.

The letter was from Mr George Benson, in respect of the Atkinson vehicles football team. I have known George for many years and always read the letters he submits to the Post.

In writing, I do not wish to be disrespectful to George’s memory but I would like to remind him of the time Garstang FC, who played in the Preston and District Football League, beat Atkinson’s football team 21-0 in a league match.

I remember it well because I was playing and I was the only one not to score.

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Everyone in the team scored, including the goalkeeper on the day.

Eddie Livesey

Garstang

hunting

A waste of time and money

I contacted my prospective MP to check his intention regarding voting to repeal the fox hunting ban and received a reply stating he will NOT be voting for the repeal as he is against fox hunting.

I would advise everyone who is concerned to check with their prospective MPs. Bringing this back is illogical. If the vote is carried by a Conservative Government, it would be brought back by any future Labour Government and so on – wasting time and taxpayers’ money.

AIH via email

terror attack

We cannot let the violent win

I send prayers to the victims and their families of the bomb in Manchester on May 22. So sorry the happy pop concert was spoiled.

The spoilers didn’t win – local folk were there with comfort and cups of tea, as they always are. We will always be strong here – we cannot let the violent win.

E Norton

Clayton-le-Woods

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