Letters - Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Most people will welcome the lengthening of daylight hours, largely with regards to their general wellbeing and the benefits from nature’s fresh offers.

As a regular car driver and cyclist in both daily twilight periods, I have another reason.

In very faded light, too many vehicle drivers are failing to switch on their headlights which would reduce accident risks at the most dangerous time(s) of the day, especially when there is heavy cloud or rainfall.

Clearly some drivers just attain knowledge of the Highway Code (with little comprehension), just to pass their tests.

Some drivers, I feel, think that headlights are to just help them see better but not to greatly help them be seen.

Duty of care is for themselves and not others.

I have a theory that relates to the old lighting-up times but more so the street lights, or, to be more accurate, the times the lights came on and went off.

My observations are that the new street lights switch on later and off earlier.

This means that street lights are off for at least half an hour longer in both twilight periods.

My point is that some drivers are influenced by highway illuminating times and that the numbers of unlit vehicles are significantly higher than when the old lights were operating.

Only modern, newer, vehicles will resolve this.

In the meantime, what does continue to shock me is the number of commercial vehicles moving without lights during twilight hours.

Bus drivers and motorcyclists lead by good example.

It’s the pedal cyclists that should have a duty of care, mainly for themselves and their families.

A case of look before you leap.

Mike Dodgson

via email

EPIDEMIC

So lucky NHS is getting extra £350...

How timely and reassuring that our NHS is receiving an extra £350m a week from our Brexit bonus. Other countries dealing with the coronavirus pandemic must be envious.

Peter lacey

address supplied

EPIDEMIC

Shopping trolleys need to be sanitized

If it gets worse, would it not be possible for supermarkets to sanitize their shopping trolly handles which are infrequent use.

I know there are a lot of them and a lot of customers use them?

John Taylor

via email

EPIDEMIC

Is the world getting rid of oldies first?

The older generation, it seems, are to be left to fend for themselves whilst care will be concentrated on younger people. It seems a shame since I, as an oldie, have paid tax on my salary and even now am paying tax on my occupational pension. That’s the way of the world it seems, get rid of the old ones first.

peter hyde

via email

EPIDEMIC

Media should stop whipping up frenzy

The coronavirus has been totally blown out of all proportion. Far more people die daily of road traffic accidents. This disease is nothing more than a strain of the flu. The media need to act more responsibly and stop whipping up a frenzy, and the public need to get a grip – stop panic buying and believing ridiculous hype.

Martin Graham

address supplied

Environment

Tree guards should be banned

Trees have been growing happily and healthily here in the UK for hundreds of years without tree guards. Tree guards were not invented until 1973 and were intended to encourage slow growing plants to grow more quickly.

They have now become universal, mainly because contracts for grant-aided planting require tree guards to be used.

It is a total nonsense to plant a small sapling to help the environment and cut carbon and then wrap it in a petro chemical plastic tree guard typically three feet long and three inches in diameter, which does not biodegrade, costs twice the price of the sapling it is designed to protect and will still be littering the countryside, long after the young sapling requires it.

It is not necessary. It is not only poisonous and harmful to wildlife, but it also encourages the tree to be weak and unhealthy as the effect of the tube is similar to ‘forcing’ rhubarb, by not allowing wind and weather to ‘harden’ the young trunk.

The sooner they are banned the better. We managed to ban plastic drinking straws, surely we can manage to ban these useless horrors?

David Harrison

address supplied