Letters - Monday, April 12, 2021

Probably the most annoying and disturbing TV advert at the moment is the ‘Go left on the smart motorway.’

Whoever came up with this one is treating motorists like children or imbeciles.

Smart motorways are nothing more than potential death traps and this ill-conceived advert is doing nothing to alleviate the danger.

It presumes that all breakdowns will allow the driver to continue until they arrive at an emergency bay.

Unfortunately this is not always the case as certain breakdowns will leave the vehicle and its occupants stranded in a ‘live’ lane.

There has already been a number of serious accidents and I believe that a major incident involving a number of vehicles will inevitably occur, sooner rather than later.

The roll-out of these potential ‘Highways of Death’ should be halted now and those already converted should be returned to their original status.

Now if they want a jingle that best suits the current situation, how about this:

Broken down?

On a smart motorway

No probs

Just call the AA

And soon

They’ll be there to tow you away.

What now?

Go to the emergency bay.

Can’t move!

Well I suggest that you pray.

What’s that bang?

Oh dear! We hope you’re okay.

And if not

Enjoy the rest of your day.

Rest assured.

Hospital food is improving they say.

Yes it’s fun.

Breaking down on a smart motorway.

Derek Rogerson

address supplied

POLITICS

Independence risk for the Scots

I love the Scottish people and I have long thought that the biased, one-sided approach of their government – drumming up hatred of Boris Johnson, the Tories and Parliament – is not the approach of a balanced and wise leadership. The Scottish people should be given a fair view of the downside risk of independence before making such a momentous decision.

R W Foster

address supplied

TRANSPORT

Disappointment at station taxi rank

I would like to express my thoughts and disappointment in the situation regarding the taxi rank at Blackpool north station.

It seems the car park or loading bay for the taxi service has been moved, making it very confusing for people who wish to get taxi.

It also makes it very difficult for disabled users as the entrance to disabled taxi is on the passenger side and the main loading bay is on the right hand side, making it very difficult on busy times with no sense of direction for people or the taxi driver, all in all it seems to be worse now than ever.

We are also led to believe that the permits for the taxi drivers has been taken over by a third party.

The taxi trade has suffered like most businesses and to be told we need to use the grants that some of them have or not have had to pay for the permits beggars belief.

Julian Davies

via email

APPEAL

The month to combat stress

April is Stress Awareness Month and we know that having to manage a condition like diabetes, on top of the strain the last year has put on everyone, can cause even greater stress and anxiety.

Living with diabetes through this pandemic – where people with the condition are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill if they develop coronavirus – has been, for many, overwhelming.

Although stress doesn’t cause diabetes, it can affect your blood sugar levels and how you look after your condition. Thankfully, though, there are things you can do to make it easier to cope and Diabetes UK has plenty of resources which can help.

If you want support on how to change the way you react so things feel better, try the Stress Manager tool on the Diabetes UK’s online Learning Zone. You’ll also get a warm welcome and support from others with diabetes on our online support forum. Both the Stress Manager tool and the forum can be found at the Diabetes UK website: diabetes.org.uk.

If you’d prefer to talk to someone, you can chat to one of our trained advisors. They have counselling skills and can be contacted via our helpline on 0345 123 2399 (Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm) or by emailing [email protected].

It doesn’t matter what causes you stress, it is getting support to manage it that’s important. So please take that first step during Stress Awareness Month if you feel you need to.

Clare Howarth

Head of the North of England at Diabetes UK

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