All roads are more dangerous now

IN RESPONSE to the Hayes Gazette’s story of March 27 headlined Please make nan’s road safer to drive in, I would like to add my voice to the cause, and to point out that it has not just Longmead Avenue that has become more dangerous than it ever used to be.

I have lived in Hayes all my life, and thought our residential streets were fairly safe, but last July my one-year-old cat, Treacle, was run over and killed right outside my house.

Since that terrible shock, I have seen the bodies of at least three more dead cats around Hayes – in Kingshill Avenue, Hesa Road and on the Hayes Bypass.

Most recent was the one in Hesa Road, which is not far from Longmead Avenue.

Knowing how it feels to find your beloved cat lying there dead, I always feel so sorry for the owners when I see the body of a cat on the road. Until last year, I had hardly ever seen dead cats. So the roads in Hayes are definitely busier and more dangerous than ever before.

To protect my three remaining cats we have built a large, mesh enclosure in our back garden, where they can enjoy fresh air and have fun at any time of day but remain totally safe.

I would recommend this to anyone who is concerned about their cat’s safety outdoors, but I would also urge all drivers to start taking more care when driving around the area.

ROSEMARY MOORE

via email

Pavements can be safer for cyclists

I WAS interested to read the views of Tom Crow regarding cyclists (Danger of cyclists without lights, Letters, March 27).

I am a keen cyclist and I admit to riding at walking pace through Uxbridge town centre and, although it is easy to say it should not be done, it is harder to address the reason why many cyclists do.

The fact remains, cycling around Uxbridge is dangerous, especially when navigating Mahjacks Roundabout or the round about at the junction of Uxbridge Road and Vine Street, which is often required to go from one side of the town to the other.

The safest route sometimes means I am forced to use pavements. Hillingdon Council makes little provision at all for this healthy, sustainable form of transport.

Roads are poorly maintained and cycle lanes around Uxbridge poorly designed, with many being dangerous to use.

I would also like to state I have a bell, lights and extensive cycle training, but this ceases to have any effect because of the many pedestrians I come across using headphones, talking on mobile phones, texting or using social media such as Facebook and Twitter on mobile devices.

Tom is right – cyclists should never use the pavements. I would rather not, but at specific times it is ultimately safer to do so. Likewise, pedestrians should not walk in the road, yet daily I have people connected to their mobile device walk into the road without looking.

Some people are inconsiderate and some people are cyclists. It’s not fair to paint them all with the same brush.

Some areas which people believe are pedestrian-only zones within Uxbridge town do not prohibit cyclists. The fact they restrict motor vehicle use should not be confused with restricting access by all road users.

PAUL DOLBEAR

via email

People clog up the cycle tracks

WHILE I agree with Tom Crow that cyclists should not be riding at night without lights and in the majority of cases should not be on the pavement, as a cyclist I would like to address the balance (see reference above).

I choose to ride a bike for both financial and environmental reasons, and take my life in my hands every time I venture on the road. I deplore the cyclists who abuse the law and ride ‘without due care and attention’, but am constantly forced to abandon the cycle track when it is clogged with people near bus stops and also to dodge those who do not look when walking across them.

I have just had to pay £40 to have my bike fixed because some ignorant woman hit my front wheel on a roundabout and, although she briefly stopped to look in the mirror, continued on before I could get her details.

I use lights and wear a high-visibility jacket, so give me a wave and I will smile back.

ANDREW GOATSON

via email

Bikes on paths a growing problem

I WOULD like to comment further on Tom Crow’s letter (see reference above).

My main concern is the cyclists who ride on the pavement with apparent immunity from prosecution. This growing problem is both illegal and extremely dangerous.

I would like to know the figures for injuries to pedestrians in Hillingdon and nationwide.

Why on earth are the police doing nothing about this menace?

ALF MITCHELL

West Drayton

We need the facts before airport vote

NOTING that the borough is holding a referendum for every householder to express an opinion on expansion of Heathrow Airport, I believe the questions to be included in the vote are worded in such a fashion to be prejudiced.

A referendum should first be accompanied by all the facts. It is true the Prime Minister and his government have funked a decision, passing their responsibilities to another committee, which I anticipate will come up with another whitewash, but I think the wider issues should be considered.

Yes, it is a difficult matter, more so than HS2, where a connection to any airport remains a mystery.

Here are some facts which voters may wish to consider:

What is a hub airport and why is it seen that Amsterdam has an advantage in having space for six runways in an out-of-town location?

Is it sensible to propose an airport in the Thames estuary, as far away from the bulk of our population as possible and with massive infrastructure issues?

All this to build an island twice the size of Heathrow high enough to avoid storm surges and global warming.

Why would we need a new hub airport if Heathrow remains open with two runways?

Conversely, if a new hub airport is built, would Heathrow be abandoned (unlikely)?

There are more than 100,000 families and businesses around Heathrow whose livelihoods depend on the airport. Businesses locate because of the airport.

It is said UK business is at a disadvantage without extra hub capacity. Does this matter?

There are many other arguments both for and against, but I fear this local referendum may not carry weight. I think a vote is a waste of time!

ANTHONY RIDLER

via email

‘No win’ if you report a pothole

WITH reference to the article Another car goes to pot on danger road in the Ruislip, Eastcote and Northwood Gazette, on March 27, I would like to say:

1. Not one but two broken front suspension springs on my car due to potholes.

2. I have been complaining for years to the council and at one point was known as Pothole Paul by my friends.

3. We had a small pothole in our road and a temporary repair was made. It took three men and large machinery because of ‘health and safety’. What a complete waste of council tax money – a simple shovel would have been more than enough.

4. The council waits for the public to report these potholes and then sends round an inspector. If the pothole is not deep enough it is left. Even when a potholes is repaired the workers have to return a year later to repair it once again, proving to me that it was not repaired correctly in the first place.

5. I am also concerned about the uneven pavements which I have been informed some will not be repaired within the next 75 years.

6. Kwik Fit and Mr Clutch have informed me that they are doing a roaring trade in damaged car suspension, springs, tyres and wheels since the potholes in this and other boroughs have not been fixed.

7. I find our council always tries to get out of any liability and ask the claimant to prove that the damage was caused by its pothole, which is impossible, so the claimant has a ‘no win situation’. Shame on our council.

PAUL LOMAS

via email

Little is done about damaged roads

THERE is little point in doing what Jean Palmer suggests, that is, report potholes to the council’s contact centre, because very little will happen (see reference above).

For over 18 months I have been discussing with my local councillor the poor condition of our roads in general, and Victoria Road in particular.

It was only after a site meeting with him that anything happened in the road – patch repairs. These repairs were so minimal and poor that I sent him the following email:

“Following the recent article in the Gazette and our inspection of Victoria Road, the council sent people to fill in the potholes, but instead of filling them all in they left serious potholes and ruts unattended to.

“Why did they not fill them all in while they were on site?”

The response was that ‘the road will be resurfaced in the next financial year’.

I have also asked why the council has a predilection to completely resurface minor side roads that are going nowhere in particular, instead of concentrating its resources on larger roads like Victoria Road or Field End Road that carry infinitely more traffic between town centres.

I have not received any logical response.

The injustice is that everyone knows that our badly potholed roads are damaging our cars, but the council’s insurance company just stonewalls, saying: “You prove what pothole damaged your car,” knowing full well it will be almost impossible to prove which particular potholes caused the cumulative damage.

DAVID SEAMAN

via email

Glib remarks from UKIP candidate

HERE in Harefield, leaflets have been delivered to households by UKIP. Apparently, we now have a candidate who has lived in the village since 2006.

I suggest if he wants to represent Harefield he finds out something about it, rather than make glib remarks about what he would do.

He needs to speak to the police and youth services and he might be surprised about the things that are happening in that quarter. Also I suggest he visits the infant and junior schools.

Does he not know about the expansion programme? He would if he had walked down the High Street and, as for the schools not being maintained, well that’s simply laughable.

HAREFIELD RESIDENT

Name and address supplied

GPs decide what’s best for first time

ON APRIL 1, the way healthcare services for Hillingdon residents are commissioned changed. For the first time, Hillingdon GPs are responsible for deciding what services are needed for their patients and who is best placed to provide them.

NHS Hillingdon Clinical Commissioning Group is the new organisation that commissions health services for the borough.

We are committed to working closely with patients and the public, to ensure that we provide excellent services that meet their needs. One of the best ways of doing this is to provide more services in a community setting, where they are easier to access.

We have already held open meetings with the public and local organisations, and our next one is tonight (Wednesday) at the Mount Vernon Hospital post-graduate centre.

Although concerns have been raised that individual GPs could be involved in decisions about buying in services they have a financial interest in, we have strict rules in place to ensure this cannot happen.

GPs on our governing body who have a commercial interest in a business cannot be involved in decisions about the commissioning of this service.

We have also published on our website a register of interests for each member of the CCG board, which sets out what health related interests and activities they are involved in.

Hillingdon CCG is an open and publicly accountable organisation, and we hold meetings of our governing body in public. Information on these meetings are publicised on our website at www.hillingdonccg.nhs.uk.

The NHS is entering a new era, where delivering compassionate, patient centred care is at the heart of its work. Hillingdon CCG is committed to playing its full part, in partnership with patients and local organisations, to deliver this vision for Hillingdon residents.

DR IAN GOODMAN

GP and chairman of Hillingdon CCG