Letters: Put the brakes on plan to make Capital 20mph zone

As a responsible driver I don't have any problem with these zones being placed directly outside schools or other places where large amounts of children may be likely to congregate.

But having blanket 20mph zones and all the signage and road markings that go with them would be a complete waste of public funds.

On most side streets it is not possible to do much more than 20mph due to parked cars being in the way.

If blanket 20mph zones are given the go-ahead then this is liable to lead to an increase in the prices the public pay in the shops.

The slower the traffic in the city flows means it takes longer to deliver goods and services and, in business, time means money.

Fife Council is currently trying to make every side street a 20mph area and many also have humps.

I would urge the citizens of Edinburgh to use the objections process to oppose any proposed 20mph zone unless you want your capital city to end up covered in 20mph zones like Fife.

Alastair Macintyre, Webster Place, Rosyth, Fife

Event left to sink without trace

LIVING in Joppa, I was delighted to read in the Evening News of the first ever Edinburgh Open Water Festival taking place in Portobello on Sunday, September 5. I duly entered the 400m race and started (reluctantly) training.

The big day came, we were very lucky with the weather, and even though the sea was very cold I completed the race finishing firmly mid-table.

The following day I picked up a copy of The Scotsman and did not find a single mention of the event, let alone a picture.

Never mind, I thought, the Evening News won't let me down.

Which it did.

While not as glamorous as the other event taking place in Edinburgh at the weekend (the Duathlon in Holyrood Park), I was surprised and disappointed at the lack of coverage for the new event which, hopefully, will become an annual affair.

Tom Martin, Joppa Grove, Edinburgh

Heavy loads must be catered for

I WRITE in response to Moira Reekie, who expresses frustration at having to wait for an abnormal load to be escorted across the Forth Road Bridge (Letters, September 3). For safety reasons, it is routine for off-peak bridge traffic to be held back briefly while unusually wide or heavy loads cross. These loads must always wait until peak traffic has eased – normally after 9am. The precise timing is dictated by the ebb and flow of traffic.

Ms Reekie was delayed for approximately 10 minutes while we escorted two abnormal loads across the bridge at 9.20am on August 31. The two vehicles had been waiting to cross for some time, and traffic had been flowing freely since 9am.

Overall, a balance must be struck between the needs of commuters and leisure travellers and the needs of commercial operators. All delays are frustrating, but the operators of these vehicles routinely experience lengthy delays throughout the road network – to restrict them further would be unreasonable.

Chris Waite, communications manager, Forth Road Bridge

Place services ahead of pomp

AGAIN we hear that the Papal visit is Edinburgh's opportunity to show off to the world.

In all the places I have travelled, no-one ever asks me if I go to festivals or if I have seen the Queen. They ask me about my home, the schools, and most of all is Edinburgh a good place to live. I used to say, yes, the best, but not now.

I, like many, are fed up of watching the services and care for the people go down the pan.

I want Edinburgh to be admired. But, I want it to be admired because we are interested in giving our chidren a good start in life and are looking after our elderly citizens.

L Hamilton, Lockerby Crescent