SIR – At the end of July I made a short stop in Bedford. Like all tourists I took a stroll along g the Embankment.
On my return to my car I found that I had been given a parking fine. I paid up, even though it would have cost more than the fine
to send someone 1,000 kilometres to recover the debt.
The ticket also pointed out that I had no tax disc on view. If the warden was that observant perhaps he should have noticed that mine was a foreign car and been a little lenient. In France no vehicle tax is paid.
I had seen the parking sign without realising its limitations. The ticket machine was painted in a dark grey and situated beneath a tree so that it was not obvious. Where I live the word 'Payant' is clearly marked on the road in each parking place so that there can be no mistake.
If you wish to encourage tourism you are not being very far-sighted. For strangers in the town there is no help to find parking. It is bad enough to have to contend with the traffic and your one-way system without having to drive round and round to find a space. I, for one, will make a point of avoiding Bedford, as a tourist stop, and will advise my friends to do the same.
The amount of money gained by fining me will be more than offset by the amount of future trade you will lose.
Roger Paton
Dournazac, France
Sick of our village being used as dustbin
SIR – I, like every resident of Marston Moretaine I have
spoken to, am heartily sick of our area being used as a dustbin for others.
At last we have got rid of 'smelly' brick chimneys after a lifetime of them, and the two landfill sites have closed.
Now we are being threatened with an incinerator to spew out filth, including dioxins, the most toxic and carcinogenic of chemicals, and becoming another blot on our landscape.
Is this ecological? Why here? Let someone else have it – perhaps those proposing it should have it in their backyard because ours have been used for long enough. How about the leafy suburbs of Berkshire, Hampshire or Surrey? Doubtless there would be too much action against it, or, as they are very rich areas, money to prevent it.
I have long thought a considerable reduction in council tax would be in order for this area as house prices have suffered over the years because of all the smoke and smells, and the rubbish and filth strewn along the A421 from lorries carrying waste.
Now they want to do it all over again with an incinerator at Rookery Pit.
And, finally, they want to inflict an eco-town on rural
Bedfordshire – or should that be 'economic-town' –money for the builders but economic loss and lifestyle change for local
residents.
Apparently Marston Vale could be chosen because 'there is not much opposition to the proposal' – rubbish, Marston and Lidlington parish councils are very strenuous in their opposition, as are residents of these villages.
Like many 'incomers' to Marston, I came to live in the country to get away from urban living. It's true the village has expanded over the 42 years I have lived here, but that is to be expected.
High density housing, including high rise flats, will have a detrimental effect on house prices, not to mention increase crime and traffic problems. Worst of all, greenfield sites will be built on – so much for preserving the English countryside and planting the Forest of Marston Vale.
Planners should put the needs, feelings and expectations of
residents of Marston Vale first, and not be harried by central government and developers.
E Goss
Marston Moretaine
A done deal? Over
my dead body
SIR – Like many of my fellow citizens of the Marston Vale I abhor the building of an unnecessary massive new town, in this beautiful stretch of countryside, which will blight the lives and quality of life of many who choose to live in the villages.
I totally support the efforts of MMTAG in fighting this
development and encourage all who value their village life to do so.
On July 16 I wrote to housing minister Caroline Flint asking a number of questions.
Neither she nor her office have had the courtesy to answer my questions nor even reply acknowledging receipt of my letter despite later sending the letter as an email. This indicates to me that either the government does not care a jot for our opinions or that the development is a done deal – the latter over my dead body!
I wonder if other readers have received replies from her?
Mike Green
Hillson Close,
Marston Moretaine
True cost of removing vandalism graffiti
SIR – Your correspondent Pamela Daley (T&C, Aug 21), complains of the state of Allhallows car park which is usually caused by overnight
'visitors' and the council is investigating ways to prevent it.
Yes, we want our town to look good and huge sums have been invested in our town centre car parks by Bedford Borough
Council.
For instance, the Queen Street multi-storey car park was refurbished three years ago at a cost of £1.5m, so I am dismayed that this car park has been suffering from graffiti recently.
However, Bedford Parking Services take action to remove it and Coun Ian Nicholls and I are pleased staff remove obscene wording immediately by
scrubbing it off themselves.
Unfortunately, the latest graffiti was so extensive that its removal last week cost council taxpayers £1,500.
I would much rather this money had been better spent on more beneficial things such as car park improvements or leisure activities for young
people. Many youngsters in the area could have benefited from that money rather than cleaning up after vandals.
For instance, £1,500 could have paid for 8,000 swims for youngsters at
Robinson Pool, 330 games of five a side football at John Bunyan or even one week's play scheme.
Graffiti is vandalism. It is not only unsightly but it wastes money. This misguided pasttime needs reporting to the police and to the borough council's environmental hotline on 0800 121 8888.
Coun Colleen Atkins
(Lab) Harpur Ward
When every little bit does not help
SIR – I thought I would pop into my local Tesco for some beer this weekend, I had the children with me as usual. When I got to the checkout I was quite flattered when I was asked for ID – I am told I am a young looking 32 – and I produced ID expecting that to be the end of it. But, no! I had my 16-year-old daughter with me and I was refused alcohol because she was standing with me at the checkout.
How ridiculous. I find that you cannot buy beer when
accompanied by your own children, just because she happens to be a teenager. At what point does this strange rule come into force – when you have children with you aged ten,11 or 12? Would someone who was buying alcohol for a minor go through the checkout with that person, or have them wait outside in any case?
I understand supermarkets have to enforce these rules, but I really cannot see the merit in this daft rule, which means you have to leave teenage children at home.
Samantha Pucell
Winifred Road, Bedford
Don't spoil our unbeaten record!
SIR – I was disappointed to read your report informing readers of Bedford FC's first defeat. This was incorrect – up to now we are unbeaten, drawing two of the three games we were supposed to play with the one mid-week match against Arlesey Athletic being postponed due a
waterlogged pitch.
The first game on August 9 was drawn 1-1 at home to Sporting London E Benfica, and our second match on August 16, at home to Harpenden Town, was drawn 2-2. So if you are goingto print reports about Bedford FC please print the facts.
Geoffrey D Seagrave
Vice chairman, Bedford FC
Saving us a job – and taxpayers' money!
SIR – Walking towards Tesco in Cardington Road, Bedford, I noticed a large portion of the grass verge had been dug up.
Since there is an unofficial traveller site there, I can only guess that the latest group of travellers created this
masterpiece of landscaping in order to flatten the ground and make parking space for even more of their caravans.
But as they say, every cloud has a silver lining – it will save a huge amount of pressure on the public purse. After all, why should the council have to use taxpayers' money to create more traveller sites when the travellers are obviously more than willing to do it themselves?
Kevin Harris
Grafton Road, Bedford
We were happy to act as good Samaritans SIR – About a month ago my friend was driving myself and some friends around Bedford, as he has just passed his test and generally likes driving, when we came across a man in his underwear, covered in blood with some bad head injuries.
We called an ambulance and after speaking to him found out he was homeless and had been on his way to sleep at the railway station when he was mugged of everything he had, even his clothes. We was all disgusted by this and as the police turned up they asked the ambulance crew if we had had anything to do with it.
My friends and I all think this is like the Good Samaritan story, because of all the people that must have driven or walked past him, the 17-year-old boys cruising in the car playing the loud music are the ones that help – only for the police reaction in stereotyping us and believing we were involved.
I hope this makes some of those passers-by think when they next see someone who is vunerable and in need of help.
Tom Passfield
Wootton
Identity and green spaces will be lost
SIR – Further to your coverage of the eco-town plan for Marston Vale, it is simply untrue and unfair for the press to be highlighting the proposal over any other in such a negative way and suggesting there is little opposition to the plans in mid Bedfordshire.
We have action groups in Marston Moretaine and Lidlington, there were over 200 people at our public meeting in opposition to this proposal and there are many posters opposing the eco-town locally. I also know many people have written to housing minister Caroline Flint directly.
We moved to Marston Moretaine in August last year because we wanted to live in a village community that had low crime, good schools and open countryside nearby, in which to raise a family.
We are therefore completely against the proposal as it will turn the area into one urban sprawl with no individual identity and very little green open space, and we will lose the very reasons that we moved to this village.
J Gore,
Marston Moretaine
