Letters - March 11, 2019

Several studies have shown that an efficient transport network directly correlates to increased employment opportunities and boosts local economies significantly.

The Fylde coast already has a successful light rail network which presents multiple opportunities for further extensions, particularly along the South Fylde and Fleetwood-Poulton corridors. Its 5.2 million annual passengers represent a larger proportion of the travelling public than all Fylde coast heavy rail stations combined, and the number will no doubt increase further in the coming years.

Over the past few months there has been a lot of publicity given locally as to what can be done to improve our transport network, particularly with a focus on various light rail plans, including Trams to Lytham’s Outline Report, Paul Maynard’s plan and several others.

As residents of the Fylde coast, we must now come together to discuss these options in an in-depth, informative and transparent manner. Local authorities, community groups, politicians and residents must collectively come up with a masterplan for investment, and how this plan could be phased over the coming years and decades. We must discuss all options, and debate how light rail can work symbiotically with other transport proposals, including heavy rail, bus and road proposals. Party politics must be put aside for the greater good of our region. We need to bring all interested local parties together for a discussion. We have the opportunity to create a transport network that present and future generations can be proud of, let’s not waste it.

Sam Flynn

Trams to Lytham & Light Rail Transit Association

ENVIRONMENT

Declaring climate emergency in town

I am petitioning Blackpool Council to declare a ‘climate emergency’ in Blackpool in an attempt to try to assist in the effort to address global climate change.

This is following a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that highlights the significant potential dangers posed to society and the environment from a 2°C rise in temperature compared to a 1.5°C rise.

I am wanting the council to pledge to make Blackpool carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption emissions, and to work with partners across the region to deliver this goal through all relevant strategies and plans.

If the petition is successful, it requires the matter to be discussed in full during the next council meeting, with a report to full council within six months, including the actions the council will take to address this emergency.

The petition requires 300 signatures to trigger the council to discuss it, although currently, there are significantly fewer than this. Therefore, I am politely asking if it would be possible for the Gazette to advertise my petition to try to raise awareness for the issue I am highlighting and to ultimately acquire more signatures.

The link for the petition, along with a description with what the petition entails can be found here: http://www2.blackpool.gov.uk/Epetitions/ViewPetitions.aspx?stage=

Accepted

Jane Hardy-Jones

Via email

BREXIT

What next? Penalty shootouts?

The Attorney General appeared pleased concerning his latest ‘Cod piece’ Brexit negotiations. He would have been more accurate in describing them as codswallop utterances.

He joins a long list of Ministerial negotiators, the latest, Bankrupt Barclay, endorsing the continuing ‘Coxups’. With three weeks to go, what next, penalty shootouts?

Denis Lee

Ashton

CRIME

MPs get their priorities wrong

This week’s TV news informed the nation that, once more, another innocent victim of knife crime died on our streets.

The same evening, politicians, of all persuasions, were adamant that adverts promoting junk food should be banned before the 9pm watershed because of the growing obesity problem.

The same evening, again before the watershed, a popular soap opera showed scenes of a hostage situation where a boy was holding his mother hostage, threatening to kill her using a knife.

After a time, the hostage situation came to an end when the mother stabbed her son.

Am I wrong to think politicians have got their banning priorities wrong?

Bernard Darbyshire

via email