Gives us false hope
Dear Editor Writing in his column, Bruce Crawford MSP brings good news at a time when all is trouble and strife in our political landscape (Observer, January 31).
The problem is, it is false news He tells us that the barometer for health care is in the performance of our accident and emergency departments.
If that is so, then he should note that A&E waiting times have hit a record high, as more than 1000 people waited at least 12 hours to be seen by a doctor for the first time since records began.
Official statistics released this week show the proportion of people left waiting more than eight and 12 hours in December were at the worst level for a single month since records started in 2007.
Patients who were seen within the four-hour waiting time target also reached the lowest level on record.
Of the 141,416 people admitted to A&E in Scotland during December, just
83.8 per cent were treated, transferred or discharged within the target time, leaving almost 23,000 patients waiting over four hours.
The figure is 1.3 percentage points below the previous low in December 2017 and a long way short of the Scottish Government’s “national standard” of 95 per cent, which was last met in August 2017. This is not something to celebrate. It is an utter disaster.
William Douglas, Balfron Dear Editor As a resident of the Kings Park area, the recent closure of Albert Place/Port Street has given locals an insight into the traffic flow that is likely to occur if Stirling Council implements its plan to make the area part of the “southern bypass” around the town centre to join the A9 at the Linden Avenue roundabout.
Recent traffic volume and speed along this route has been significantly increased and I have personally seen two near accidents to pedestrians crossing to Kings Park.
An elderly dog walker was nearly knocked down by a car going far too fast at the Queens Road-Victoria Place roundabout and, at the other end of Victoria Place, a young child was almost ‘taken out’ by another fast moving car whilst trying to cross.
If the “southern bypass” does become a reality, the council must install pedestrian underpasses/ bridges, or traffic lights which force motorists to stop, at key crossing points to the park; otherwise there will be fatalities.
Chris Hatton Victoria Place Stirling Dear Editor On February 2 rural residents celebrated the start of a BalfronStirling X10 Sunday bus service.
After campaigning for several years we are extremely grateful to
Stirling Council for funding this pilot. With no public transport on a Sunday, east of Balfron residents from Buchlyvie, Arnprior, Kippen and Gargunnock were completely cut off.
With this new service these villages, as well as those living in Balfron, Killearn and Strathblane are now able to access not only Stirling but all the villages along this route on a Sunday.
This pilot is scheduled to run until early spring 2021 and we hope it will be well supported.
With country pubs and cafes all along the route, we hope our friends in Stirling will also take advantage of this service and take a bus trip out west.
With the debate continuing as to how better public transport could help alleviate some of the issues associated with climate change rural buses are continually left behind urban areas in terms of investment, frequency, fare structure and quality.
Therefore, it’s great to see Stirling Council funding such a worthwhile service for residents in the western villages.
Valerie Brand Buchlyvie