Faith restored in human kindness

Broad Street signs not obvious at all

SIR, - Seldom does one see anything in the letters pages of any newspaper that gives the impression of society moving forward emotionally. I thought that it would be nice to make a small effort to try to redress the balance.

Some five years ago I was diagnosed with a combination of spinal stenosis and post-polio syndrome, both of which make it extremely difficult to walk unaided. A complex operation enabled me to sleep more comfortably but, unfortunately, seemed to worsen my walking. This resulted in me having to use a walker to assist me in walking any distance. Without it, walking more than 20 yards is extremely awkward and quite painful.

The reason I am writing is that many people heavily criticise society in general and the younger generation in particular, but I can only say that my experience is the total opposite. Many times I find myself waiting to cross a road and a driver who has right of way will stop and wave me across. If I am in a self-service cafe, nine times out of 10 the waiter or waitress will carry the tray over to my table. Frequently people hold open doors for me, and I must add that on many occasions it is young people who do these kind deeds. I have been assisted on and off buses, and the assistance at airports is invaluable and means that my wife and I have been able to holiday abroad on many occasions.

This is not to say that I think that the world is a wonderful place or anything silly like that, but it is also not the dreadful place that some of the media would have us believe. There are lots of nice people out there who do want to help others in a normal straight forward way. Not necessarily great fancy gestures, but just ordinary decent folk. Thank you for renewing my faith in the general public. SIR, – I read with dismay your headline on this subject, recognising I had also fallen victim to this change. Why? I was returning to Aberdeen after an extended absence, so unaware of the “lot of publicity” about the changes. There is no “prominent signage” on Union Street to alert unsuspecting drivers that the turn is effectively a dead-end now. The signs themselves can be obscured by a bus in front, and also the overall changes to the area are distracting when first turning the corner.

introducing P1 testing in the first place.

I believe this change will continue to generate revenue, primarily from out-of-town visitors. A simple solution would be a prominent “no cars” sign at Union Street and alongside the blue bike and bus signage.

Perhaps some of the thousands raised in fines could be reinvested in this, or is the prospect of the ongoing income just too alluring ?