Readers' letters: Bus lane extension overlooks problems

It hasn't taken long for the new Edinburgh Council administration to call for bus lane operation to be extended throughout the day.

This despite the fact that, on many routes, daily traffic flow outwith 'rush hour' traffic would not warrant such an extension.

Additionally the recent implementation of cycle lanes is in itself having a significant effect on traffic flow, including public transport.

The apparent desire by some in the council to make life more difficult for the motorist is hard to escape, particularly as there is silence on the element of most danger to traffic users - pedestrians and cyclists included - namely the disgraceful state of the roads across the city.

The development of longer term political objectives - as we can see elsewhere - should not be at the expense of addressing the day to day matters which impact on the lives of all who have to use the roads within the city.

Derek Stevenson, Edinburgh.

Murray’s Eagle eye misses the point

Once again Ian Murray (Opinion, 30 June) is guilty of misleading News readers, as the drugs debate was merely postponed for 24 hours due to the high number of amendments.

All home nations are facing severe health service pressures and this must be improved, but fact is Scotland’s NHS is performing much better than in Labour-run Wales or in England.

Also, only Type 1 A&E departments are full resuscitation, consultant-led and comparable with those in the rest of the UK.

NHS England, alone, collects the data for Type 2 and 3 small drop-in minor injury sections in hospitals with no A&E and then uses it to present better A & E data, which most of the media just accepts.

As the only Labour MP in Scotland, Ian Murray should know that the SNP are the main challengers to the six Tory held seats in Scotland. Labour is nowhere near even second place.

When Labour in Edinburgh suspends two councillors for having the audacity of opposing their grubby deal with the Tories, it is clear there is not much of a choice when Labour also backs Brexit, nuclear power and fails to stand up to Westminster’s power grabs of Scottish Parliament responsibilities.

Scotland in the Union is like The Eagles’ Hotel California, "We are programmed to receive, You can check-out any time you like, But you can never leave!"

Mary Thomas, Edinburgh.

Who is paying for referendum?

What I'd like to know is where the money is coming from for this wasteful exercise of another pretendy referendum.

I presume the Scottish Government is paying for it, in effect, us the taxpayers.

Or is it the missing millions which should have been used for the Covid recovery and which has never been spent as it should have?

There seems to be an awful lot of wasted millions on ferries, useless census etc. Independence? I don't think so. It's only to appease the numpties in her party.

Michael Rogers, East Calder.

SNP out of focus

The focus may be on Indy2, but we should never forget the constant stream of SNP failures that affect our daily lives. Another sad report is the death rate for babies under one year old in Scotland is at its highest level for 10 years.

Focusing on the day job could help our infants, the education of our youth and even the life expectancy of my fellow aged, among other things. Surely a priority?

Ken Currie, Edinburgh.

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