Teenagers aren’t bad - they are just bored!
THERE was a disturbance last week involving teenagers at the shopping centre in Walkden.
While I am totally against this kind of behaviour and large groups of youths, I do for some part feel sorry for them.
What are they supposed to do and where are they supposed to go?
We are constantly complaining about how young people spend too much time indoors on gadgets and games consoles – but what’s the alternative? There used to be a cinema in Walkden and a bowling alley on the East Lancs.
Youth clubs don’t seem to exist any more and there isn’t enough lighting in the parks so that’s not an option after dark.
Instead of wasting money increasing police patrols why not use that money to provide an option for these young people to meet up with friends without causing a nuisance to others? They’re not all bad – just bored. Trisha Moynihan, Walkden
Stop parking in our streets
IN a piece (M.E.N. February 24) on drivers being fined for using bus lanes on Oxford Road, you included a comment from a cyclist who praised the new system and said ‘now I drive up to where this section begins’ and then cycles into work.
This may be excellent for him, but is a nightmare for local residents in Moss Side, Rusholme and other inner city areas.
We have always suffered from people parking in the area, often instead of using university and hospital car parks, and making life difficult for residents.
Recently the issue has escalated dramatically, with residents finding it almost impossible to park near their homes if they go out to shop etc, and some facing abuse when challenging people who park inconsiderately.
In addition, the inability of motorists to drive straight up Oxford Road means that many now divert through the streets of Moss Side, causing increasing traffic, pollution and danger to the many children using several schools on or near these rat runs.
It is time that both the council and motorists from outside the area gave serious thought to the impact of their behaviour on inner city areas. The universities and hospital must look at how their employees come to work and what they can do (eg park and ride schemes, cheap rates for employees in their car parks). Stop using Moss Side and similar areas as free car parks for commuters! Gabrielle Cox, Moss Side
Rail issues years old
THE scale of the disruption to local rail services as a result of the electrification of the Manchester, Bolton, Preston and Blackpool line is almost unbelievable.
Victoria station is closed on many Sundays as well as all four days over Easter with many days of no trains at all at Bolton.
It’s worthwhile remembering that the proposal to electrify this route was put forward by British Railways some 30 years ago and the government confirmed that the money was available.
But the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, composed of councillor representatives from the ten local authorities in Greater Manchester (including Wigan of course) objected to the proposals because British Railways intended to take the same route as is now being electrified, that is Bolton to Preston via Chorley.
The councillors at GMPTA were unshakeable in their view that this route was wrong and it should be Bolton, Westhoughton, Wigan North Western to Preston.
There were several excellent reasons why British Railways were right and the Chorley route was correct.
It is several miles shorter, the journey time is significantly quicker and Wigan North Western was already a bottleneck with only two tracks going north towards Preston. The Chorley route joins the West Coast mainline at Euxton Junction from where there are four tracks all the way to Preston.
The stubbornness of the councillors at GMPTA led the government allocating the money elsewhere and British Railways abandoning the plan.
So commuters now suffering the pain, reflect on the shortsightedness of the various councillors at the former GMPTA, forerunners of Transport for Greater Manchester. Richard S Greenwood, Rochdale
Be patient with Jose
RE David Wild’s letter citing that he has been a United fan since the early Sixties and quoting previous United teams, who have had forwards who have been able to ‘interchange with devastating effect,’ David names our current forwards who are, quite correctly, capable of doing the same thing.
I also have been going to Old Trafford regularly since February 1963, so understand fully his comparisons.
His justification is comparing them with the forwards of the Sixties, the Treble-winning team and the 2008 team.
The difference is that the midfield creativity and back four strength of our current team is nowhere near good enough as those teams he has quoted.
How can you let them ‘interchange with devastating effect’ if your team is not creating the chances for their ‘devastating interchange’ and the defence is not strong enough to set them free?
Mourinho is playing the team to its current strengths and doing it well, in my opinion, but it is still ‘work in progress’ and progress is happening. Be patient! M. Ratcliffe, Worsley