Readers' letters: Cycle lane danger after wintry weather

A few years ago the City of Edinburgh Council installed cycle lanes on the main streets of the city.

This very commendable action ensures that cyclists could travel in safety through the streets of Edinburgh without fear of being knocked down by passing motorists.

These lanes are marked by plastic tubular bollards set in a substantial base of concrete.

During the recent wintry weather the streets have been awash with grit and salt which is now being kicked up as spray by passing motorists, coating the bollards with black dirt.

Cycle lane bollards are now in a less than pristine condition

This has made the black and white colours on the bollards very difficult to pick out in semi-darkness in the evenings or in fog.

Is it possible to instal self-cleansing bollards (likely an impossibility) or to have them cleaned on a regular basis?

If this is not done, then I fear that there will be an accident on a dark night.

Sandy Macpherson, Edinburgh

Spade work

Have you ever done something at school, work or even a social club for the benefit of either gaining a good report/making things better for everyone in business or pleasure and then someone takes all the credit for your good work? Rotten, isn’t it?

That was what I and former Cllr Sue Webber experienced last week where we invited to the official opening ceremonial dig at the new Currie Community High School.

After all the pleasantries, most people including SNP Secretary for Education Shirley Anne-Sommerville MSP and Cllr Joan Griffiths from the Labour Group, were invited to the official photo shoot, while former Cllr Webber and myself were left sitting in the room with two delightful pupils who were a credit to their school.

It’s funny, isn’t it, you can have two Conservative councillors running their socks off, working as hard as they can to save Currie Community High School, which we did by the way (not forgetting Wester Hailes High School, formally WHEC or indeed Woodlands School), while the SNP and Labour tried to close it for good.

And then they come along, pose for pictures and take all the credit, as if it’s they who saved it in the first place. It takes hypocrisy to a new level. If I’m honest, I preferred being abandoned in the Portakabin speaking to the two pupil reps who were very engaging and so looking forward to a new modern high school, which was years overdue.

We were eventually allowed out of said Portakabin to have photos taken with the pupils and head teacher along with the ceremonial spade, which was really nice. Talking of which, when leaving the event, Cllr Griffiths strode off into the distance with spade in hand as it appeared she had dug Labour out of a very deep hole.

Cllr Graeme Bruce (Con), Edinburgh Pentland Hills

Gender Bill blame

As it was the SNP who pushed through their Gender Bill, ignoring Government requests to discuss its implications with them to avoid any clashes with UK legislation, I am afraid that Nicola Sturgeon's claims about the Government “undermining democracy” in blocking the Bill are unconvincing. Westminster is, after all, our democratically-elected Government. The subordinate body is hers.

Ms Sturgeon's party is a noted trouble-maker, delighting in such face-offs and hoping that the people of Scotland will be fooled into seeing the SNP as Scotland’s champions against the nasty English.

Unfortunately for her, the people of Scotland have no such illusions and do not regard the legislation she has pushed through as morally justifiable at all.

Andrew HN Gray, Edinburgh

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