September 19
Remember to stop at zebra crossing I am writing this letter as a reminder to all readers who are road users in Bury St Edmunds: There is now a zebra crossing for schoolchildren and others in Westgate Street, just past the theatre.
I am reminding readers of this as despite the fact it was featured on the front page of the Bury Free Press on September 5, some people seem unaware it is there. Maybe they cannot see the flashing lights on either side of the crossing or the stripes on the road.
This morning, I had stepped on to the crossing with my three-year-old son when we were almost hit by a woman in a little white car who, for some reason, failed to stop. It was very close I can tell you. So, as any other human being would have reacted, I stared at this woman in amazement and pointed out that it was a crossing which school children use. At that point she very politely swore at me. Unbelievable! Also, once cars were queuing past the crossing, toward the Crown Street turning, and a blue Transit van sped across the crossing in the other direction, towards Westgate Street. It didn't even slow to see if any pedestrians were using it!
So, I have looked up the Highway Code rules for pedestrian crossings, for anyone who may be a little unsure and who does not want to seriously injure young children on their way to school.
Notepads ready then...
169. You should take extra care where the view of either side of the crossing is blocked by queuing traffic or incorrectly parked vehicles. Pedestrians may be crossing between stationary vehicles.
170. Allow pedestrians plenty of time to cross and do not harass them by revving your engine or edging forward.
171. Zebra crossings: As you approach a zebra crossing
n Look out for people waiting to cross and be ready to slow down or stop to let them cross.
You must give way when someone has moved on to a crossing.
Allow more time for stopping on wet and icy roads.
Do not wave people across as this could be dangerous if another vehicle is approaching.
Be aware of pedestrians approaching from the side of the crossing.
Christina Quilter,
Bakers Lane,
Bury St Edmunds.
Shared space is confusing
I am writing to express my dismay at the pavement and road design between the Waitrose public access path and the back of the Arc/Bury Free Press, in King's Road.
There is no raised pavement for pedestrians and, I understand, this is called shared space.
I have a child with learning problems and I found it very difficult to explain to him where the pavement was. Is he expected to use the shared space with the oncoming traffic?
Did the planners consider the health and safety risks?
This is an accident waiting to happen.
Name and address supplied.
Give cash to the CAB
I read that St Edmundsbury Borough Council has benefited from a windfall of 1.5 million in interest because of interest rate rises brought about by the economic downturn (Bury Free Press, September 12).
Wouldn't it be lovely if the council shared its windfall (our money) with the voluntary organisations whose finances they squeeze in the process of granting them minimal financial aid?
I suggest the Citizens Advice Bureau as the leading contender, as last year it dealt with more than 5,000 new debt cases (as well as more than 11,000 other cases), almost all precipitated by the credit crunch, from which the borough is benefiting.
Sue Tamlyn,
Northgate Street,
Bury St Edmunds.
Bring on the bandstand
I am hoping that, by next summer, there will be a bandstand in our beautiful Abbey Gardens.
During the war, my two friends and I spent a lot of time in the park, listening to the different bands before the cinema opened. On Saturdays I worked, but used to walk down and back during the dinner hour.
We need one with a canopy to protect the band and instruments. We also pray for better weather and for many more residents to agree and write their views.
E Harrold,
St Olaves Road,
Bury St Edmunds.
Contingency plan needed
Yet again, the narrow roads around Bardwell, Stanton and Norton have been log-jammed as a result of a serious traffic accident on the Ixworth to Stanton stretch of the A143, with all the consequential frustrations to residents, drivers and pedestrians that this entails, especially at the peak morning commuter times.
Why is it beyond the wit of the police to set up diversions so that, for example, west bound traffic is routed via Wyken/Norton and eastbound via Bardwell?
What happened on Friday morning was that local lanes were gridlocked by vehicles trying to pass one another in roads narrower than one of the single lorries trying to use them. Even pedestrians had to walk on the edges of fields to pass some huge container lorries.
It is not that this is the first, second or even the third time in recent years there has been a problem in this locality. Why have Ixworth police not got contingency plans to cover this sensibly?
W E Sword,
Knox Lane,
Bardwell.
Overnight roadworks
MAY I comment on the roadwork situation in Red Lodge/Warren Road.
Please can they get the construction workers who did the overnight resurfacing at Worlington Road, in Mildenhall, to sort out Red Lodge?
While Mildenhall is done overnight with minimal disruption, Red Lodge has been going on for months.
Claire Batt,
Gregory Road, Mildenhall.
Where is the masterplan?
Can anyone tell the taxpayers of this borough what the masterplan is for this town in the future? If it continues the way it is, we won't have a town to worry about.
Our elected councillors seem to have no regard for the people who live in and support this lovely town, because if they did they would make sure, when planning the new council complex, they had every detail before the first stone was laid.
However, our merry bunch press on regardless and hope they can come up with a plausible excuse when the monumental mistake comes to light.
On top of that, we have that ridiculous giant bug rising from the ashes of our Cattle Market and, to cap it all, 3,000 was spent on ornamental gates at the top of Abbeygate Street when a simple bollard would have done.
I suggest, in future, before any of our money is spent, we should have a public consultation to decide what it is spent on, otherwise this farce will continue.
Peggy Brame,
Severn Road,
Bury St Edmunds.
Still time to submit views
It is not yet too late for your readers to give their views to the Boundary Committee.
At meetings with parish council representatives, the Boundary Committee said everything was still open and residents could give their views on how they think local government should be organised.
Revised submissions can be sent in if views have changed and individuals who formed a group submission can send an individual submission. It is not necessary to make a choice between either of the committee's options as we have been led to believe.
Both of the proposed options are for large councils and it is impossible to know if a large unitary council will work, as there are no successful examples to follow. Northumberland and Cornwall are both in the process of forming large unitary councils but they are finding the process is fraught with unforeseen difficulties and not going to plan.
However, English rural unitary councils, which are smaller than dividing Suffolk into three or even four unitary councils, have been working since 1995. By using cross boundary partnerships they manage to have the advantages of both a small and a large council. None have unelected community boards as has been proposed for Suffolk, instead they have ward councillors representing approximately 2,000 to 3,000 electors and parish councils, which are taking their responsibilities seriously as the first tier in local government and the frontline in community engagement.
Delyse Ray,
Bardwell.
It doesn't need fixing
Re: Boundaries Lowestoft and Newmarket.
Newmarket contains an area of about four square miles and is linked to the rest of Suffolk though a 'neck' only about 100 metres wide.
A few years ago, it was suggested that the neck should be broken, so that the Newmarket Suffolk peninsula could become a part of Cambridgeshire.
In opposition, it was pointed out that there would be far less disturbance both for the town's population and for the provision of county services such as education, police, fire, etc. if, instead, the Cambridgeshire rural parishes surrounding Newmarket were moved into Suffolk. The cost would also be a lot less.
In the face of that, the proposal to move Newmarket into Cambridgeshire was quietly dropped.
The same arguments apply to the proposal to move Lowestoft into Norfolk. What would be the costs of changing all the services from one county to another?
It isn't broken, so why suggest mending it ?
Sir Reginald E W Harland,
Crown Street,
Bury St Edmunds.
Objections mean little
The leader of St Edmundsbury Borough Council wishes to create a West Suffolk unitary council because it 'knows what a unique identity this part of the county has' (Bury Free Press letters, September 5).
Why, therefore, is he allowing his planning department to recommend approval of a new housing development in Out Westgate, in Bury St Edmunds, which the greatly-respected and professional bodies, the Suffolk Preservation Society and the Bury Society, object?
Why, too, is he allowing the same department to change conditions of hours of a newly-opened town centre bar, against the wishes of Bury Town Council?
Are the above in the interests of local people?
Val Fletcher,
Hengrave.
Road needs a crossing
Your front-page article, concerning the hit and run incident in Out Northgate (Bury Free Press, September 12), reminded me of my letter published a year or two ago.
The pedestrian entrance to Tesco is off Out Northgate and crossing to and from that can also be very hazardous.
As a pensioner, I come into town by bus and walk to Tesco (roll on Asda) and I recollect a particular incident where, coming from Tesco with a well-loaded shopping trolley, I stood at the kerb for a long time waiting to cross.
No car in the continuous flow offered to let me cross the road until a police car on the same side stopped and beckoned me over. Very kind, except that when I was halfway, no car in the opposite flow would allow me across the other half. With not even a central reservation, I felt quite vulnerable standing in the middle.
In that letter, I expressed the opinion that this road was badly in need of a pedestrian crossing. Now, sadly, there has been the death of an elderly woman. Has it taken this to highlight a long-standing problem? Will the powers-that-be now take action to solve it and prevent a recurrence? They jolly well should.
I might also suggest that Tesco be approached to help finance a crossing since, among other considerations, it would assist its customers and potentially bring in more.
Other, arguably less-dangerous, roads have been provided with crossings recently following successful lobbying. What we need now is a councillor to take up the case of Out Northgate. We live in hope.
John Shayer,
Hallifax Place,
Shimpling.
Helpline was no help
On Tuesday, September 2, my partner and I found a lost book, complete with receipt, in the old Cattle Market car park.
As luck would have it, or so we thought, the receipt had a loyalty card number on it, with a helpline to call.
We thought it would be simple to inform the owner of our find by phoning the helpline, so it could contact the owner. But, no, that would be too simple. They could not do this because of the Data Protection Act, but if we were to take the book back to the shop, they could phone the helpline and arrange for the return of the lost item.
At no time did we ask for the name of the person concerned, all we wanted was to inform them of our find. So much for a helpline.
Brian Davies,
St Olaves Road,
Bury St Edmunds.
Where is my bracelet?
I have recently lost a much-treasured bracelet, somewhere around Bury St Edmunds or in the Parkway cinema.
The bracelet is gold-plated and has quartz crystal stones around it. It is of sentimental value and, if someone has found it, please could they return it to me and make a sad person happy.
It was a bracelet I wore all the time and I feel lost without it. I will give a reward for its safe return.
Karen Baldry,
Address supplied.
Looking for veterans
The British Korean Veterans Association is trying to contact former members of HM Armed Forces who served in Korea or Japan from 1950-53 and those servicemen and women who served in those two places at a later date, with the peace-keeping force of 1953-57.
This appeal includes former members of the Merchant Navy, NAAFI, Red Cross and WRVS.
Interested veterans should contact me at 116 Fields Farm Road, Hattersley, Hyde, Cheshire SK14 3NP.
An SAE would be much appreciated for return correspondence.
Brian Hough,
Ex-King's Liverpool Regiment
National Recruitment Officer.
Thank you
One hears of hospitals being dirty, but I feel I must tell you how much I enjoyed my stay in the cardiac unit of West Suffolk Hospital, in Bury St Edmunds.
I am a senior citizen who has never been in hospital before and, having heard of wards being dirty and staff not helpful, I can say that everything was totally different to what I imagined.
Everywhere was lovely and clean, all the staff and doctors were marvellous, the food was excellent.
Many thanks to all.
Bella Forman,
Northgate Street, Bury.
I would like to give my heart-felt thanks to the staff of West Suffolk Hospital for treatment received and for reaffirming my belief in our National Health Service.
In my 80th year, I broke my femur and, without being too dramatic, this could have been a death sentence to someone my age a few decades ago.
The ambulance crew were excellent and the x-ray staff sympathetic. I was taken from ward F3 for an operation and the next day was receiving visitors. In the two weeks I spent on the ward I was treated with respect and dignity.
Our NHS nurses are the best in the world and I was sorry to witness some less than gracious treatment of hospital staff by some patients.
I do not leave any staff out of my praise, caring was evident at every level.
Mrs J Bluett,
Shillitoe Close, Bury.
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Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: -3 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 5 mph
Wind direction: North
