Letters: Back tram project which will make our city thrive

TRAM contractor Bilfinger Berger has come in for much criticism regarding the dispute over its contract for the project with the council.

Construction contracts are designed (even fixed price ones) for the allowance of additional costs due to variations. The problem with the trams was TIE put a clause in the tram contract for buried services to be moved prior to Bilfinger commencing work. This never happened, resulting in Bilfinger having to delay the start of the works, thus raking up massive costs, which in turn TIE refused to pay.

I have lived in other cities where tram lines have been built (Dublin and Strasbourg). They had their critics and, like Edinburgh, problems and overruns, but today they are thriving cities with successful tram systems.

I support the project 100 per cent and look forward to the day they are up and running.

James O' Neill, Dalry Road, Edinburgh

Grit expectations are not fulfilled

YESTERDAY afternoon at 1.15, our street was gritted. This is the only time it has been gritted since last November.

Nice of our council to spend money gritting when the weather forecast is for much milder weather without snow or ice in the coming days.

John Archer, Craigleith Hill Row, Edinburgh

Hot on the trail of 'big cat' tracks

AFTER reading the story "Do giant paw prints mean big cat is on the prowl in Capital?" (News, January 11), I feel that this is the footprint of a hare travelling at speed.

These are not the prints of a big cat in my view – unless the cat hopped up the road. Also, there are no pad markings or nail markings which you would typically find in any cat prints.

A hare will jump forward landing first on its two front paws, followed by the hind legs resting at either side of the front paws.

If it were travelling at a slow speed then the prints of the rear legs would be elongated as they would be required to rest more of their body weight on them.

Paul Mungall, Edinburgh

Spitting man shames Swedes

I WAS really ashamed after reading your story "Swedish man chased by airport security after spitting on waitress" (News, January 7) but I want you to know that this man is NOT Swedish. He may have Swedish citizenship but we Swedes do not behave like this in general and we don't see this man as Swedish.

Once again, we are sorry.

Erik Karlsson, Stockholm

VAT rise is not biggest problem

THE VAT increase hitting consumers is the least of our worries.

It is the rise in raw materials costs that is the biggest concern.

We have had two changes in VAT in the last couple of years and they did not make that much difference.

There are bigger issues to worry about, such as the rising cost of oil, cotton and wheat, and the wider economy.

The cost of everything we import is going up. We will see more jobs going and companies going out of business.

John GT Hollison, Grange, Edinburgh

How Queen could stamp authority

IT is nice to see that the presence of the Queen's head on British postage stamps has been assured ahead of postal privatisation.

However, with the proliferation of franking machines and other means of prepaying postage, Sir Rowland Hill's "bit of paper just large enough to bear the stamp, and covered at the back with a glutinous wash" may soon be in terminal decline.

Parliament should mandate the imprinting of the royal effigy on these alternative forms of payment in order to ensure that every knock of the postman continues to remind us of our ruler!

John Eoin Douglas, Spey Terrace, Edinburgh