Why do improvements make our roads worse?

The only vermin I see here is the human kind. The atrocities mankind commits against animals sickens me to the core. I WAS mildly amused to read of the proposed road improvement plans published recently, as the philosophy of our blessed highways department is usually to hamper rather than aid traffic flow (

Every alteration in road layout seems to be with the express intent of slowing traffic down as much as possible.

If they are serious about improving traffic flow, a good, and cheap place to start would be the phasing of traffic lights. In some locations, such as Longroyd Bridge, the green light phase is so ridiculously short – about seven seconds – that drivers barely have time to engage gear before they are brought to a halt again.

Consequently, there is always standing traffic which may have to stop and start three or four times, causing their vehicles to operate at their most uneconomical and polluting level.

Surely a minimum phase of 20 or even 30 seconds would reduce congestion and improve air quality? Additionally, it might even reduce the epidemic level of red light jumping, which is often caused by drivers’ frustration at being stopped so frequently.

EU is democratically run by its members

SOURPUSS groups are ( thinks minority paralysing leave

Well I am a member of one of his so-called ‘minority groups’, there are 16.8 Million of us in this group – there are another 37 million people who may also be in that group.

I would like to see what evidence he has that these minority groups are receiving grants from the EU?

Finally he says that the EU is undemocratic, well this is just a small part of Mr Jon Danzig’s online blog, there is much more Sourpuss should try reading it.

Contrary to what many people in Britain understand, the EU is a democracy, democratically run by its members.

These comprise the democratically-elected Governments and Parliaments of EU member states, alongside the directly elected European Parliament.

All the treaties of the EU, upon which all EU laws must be compatible, and any new countries applying to join the EU, must be unanimously and democratically agreed by all the national parliaments of every EU member state, however large or small.

In some EU countries, according to their national constitutions, agreement must also be obtained by regional Parliaments and national referendums.

All the EEC/EU treaties since Britain joined 46 years ago were fully-debated and democratically passed by our Parliament in Westminster.

Not once were any changes to our EU membership imposed upon us, and neither could they be, as the EU is a democracy. In addition, every EU country has a veto on any treaty changes or any new country joining. FOR most of us with all the luxuries of modern living, piling on the pounds is paying the price for an easy way of life compared to our grandparents.

So many devices are manufactured to make life less physical and what with the huge car market you can get from A to B without breaking into a sweat. Top this with food that tastes nice but is not good for us.

Now we have the news that the NHS will allow more people to have weight loss surgery.

When do we start taking responsibility for looking after ourselves?

There are some, unfortunately, who struggle with weight problems all their lives through medical problems.

But if you want to stay healthy, which means most of us, and keep our NHS solvent, then we should take charge of our own lives and save the money for those who are less fortunate.