Readers' letters: City traffic chaos is adding to pollution

Thanks to the complete lack of considered traffic control at the Broughton Street, York Place/Picardy Place junction I have added to the mounting air pollution that is, and will continue to, effect Edinburgh.

For the last two weeks the access to Leith Walk and London Road from Picardy place has been closed, yet the traffic light sequence has not been altered to reflect this closure.

Therefore, traffic for Leith Walk and London Road which would previously have been allowed to move by a filter (which is still functioning on a closed road) are now directed up Leith Street, creating a bottleneck, resulting in tail backs along York Place and up Broughton Street.

A journey which normally takes 20 minutes now takes 55 minutes, adding to our city's air pollution.

The whole area of tram development at the top of Leith Walk has resulted in chaotic traffic control and must contribute thousands of tons of pollution into Edinburgh's air.

Complete lack of cause and effect from the traffic department of CEC.

Mr K Clark, Edinburgh.

Binning EU laws is harmful for the UK

Recently the House of Lords discussed the Financial Services and Markets Bill.

It appears that despite constant personnel changes at 10 Downing Street, the Tories want to push this legislation through Parliament.

The bill is part of the British Government’s moves to disconnect itself from European Rules on finance.One of the main things the government want to do with this legislation is to scrap restrictions on food speculation.

They are also proposing to pass the retained EU law (revocation and reform) bill.

At the centre of this ill-advised bill is the introduction of a new requirement for regulators to promote the international competitiveness of the UKs financial sector.

This is the kind of move which could bring about less stringent rules to encourage traders to get involved in British financial services.

According to Global Justice Now head office, the results of this bill will be to drive up prices for basic commodities such as fuel and food in the middle of a cost of living crisis.

As an alternative to this bill, Global Justice Now at national level are demanding that financial regulators are given a new statutory purpose to play their part in dealing with the issue of climate change.

The organisation are also demanding that regulators take responsibility for promoting social inclusion and stability in the economy.

Hopefully as many people as possible will write to their local MP and ask them to oppose this bill - and in so doing help protect their constituents from any further attacks on their household income and standard of living.

Arthur West, Irvine.

Welcome proposals to tackle child abuse

We very much welcome that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has recommended mandatory reporting of abuse without exemptions for religion.

For too long the law has tiptoed politely around church assurances that they’ll sort it themselves.

Legal counsel for IICSA said that religious settings are less well-regulated than donkey sanctuaries.

Notions of “religious freedom”, the privilege of “sacramental confession“ and the shameful complicity of high ranking church leaders in simply moving offenders to different jobs are rightly no longer to be above the law. We hope the Scottish Inquiry will come to similar conclusions.

Neil Barber, Edinburgh Secular Society.

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