READERS' VIEWS 7/5

09 May 2008

The elderly need a loo after a bus trip to town

I NOTE one of my letters was among the 17 received and read out by Rugby Borough Council in regard to the closing of the loos, especially the one in Church Street.
I am like another reader - I smell a rat - as they are now set to carry out an in-depth research into public loos. How long will this take?
After reading the report of the meeting, to say I am disappointed is an understatement at Sean Lawson's belief that businesses could provide the requirement for loos already closed. We have already heard what businesses think of this idea - no, thank you!
It is well seen that Mr Lawson hasn't visited a restaurant or travelled on a bus in Rugby into town, especially the Brownsover estate bus into town. My wife and I regularly visit the same restaurant in town at least three times a week, and like many hundreds more are well known and the toilet here says 'For Customers Use Only'.
Does he expect Tom, Dick and Harry who have no intention of eating in to use the toilet while customers may be sitting with their legs crossed waiting to get in. They may lose a lot of customers if this happens.
I would also like to challenge Mr Lawson to board a bus in the Brownsover estate for town, doesn't he know there are five humps on Murray Road, and no matter the speed of the bus, and I am sure there are many other roads leading into two with humps, and when the bus comes down on one of them your whole body and your bladder gets shaken. He would be praying the bus would reach North Street to relieve his bladder.
I know there are many elderly people who would like to get off at Lawrence Sheriff to do some shopping in this area, but fear of needing the loo makes them stay on the bus to North Street, and scurry across the road to the North Street toilet.
I cannot emphasise enough in a pleading to open the Church Street toilets.

Bill Forrester
Brownsover

Turn old market into central bus terminal

The council is soon to make a decision on the matter of making the town centre traffic free.
Let's hope they make the right decision, not one just to satisfy the bus operators and taxi owners but the people of Rugby for the long term.
Personally I am in favour of a total ban on all traffic within the area of North Street, into High Street, buses and taxis included. It has to be a total ban, if you are seen to allow one class of vehicle in it will be seen as an opening for other groups.
The council should look upon these meetings as the ideal opportunity to give Rugby a town centre to be proud of, a centre where any retailer would want to do business in.
So where would buses and taxis operate from? Rugby badly needs a central bus/coach terminus! Where? The site of the old market is currently vacant and has a little used car park.
With very little disruption it could be turned into an almost central bus/coach terminus. Located in this area would create a natural funnel for people into a part of town which is rapidly dying and hopefully breath new life into this area.
I am one who still feels the closure of the old market along with the indoor market was the start of the decline of Rugby's town centre.
The current market is a joke; just a handful of stalls packed tightly together, some almost inside doorways of the shops making it difficult to window shop etc.
If the centre was to become traffic free this creating a Piazza, stalls and displays could spread giving it a more Continental feel.
A central bus/coach terminus will help the tourist board. Being a regular user of coach services (Jamesway, National Express etc.) I am always unhappy regarding the location of pick-up and setting down points.
Before its closure Westway car park was used, this was always cold and uninviting with no cover or toilets, and not safe at night or early in the morning. National Express pick-up on Clifton Road, again little or no cover and no toilets. Jamesway now have to use the car park at Ken Marriott Centre, again remote, no cover or toilets.
I feel that perhaps in the past the council could have been guilty of not looking at 'the big picture'. This could well be the last opportunity to retain and develop the town centre, I fear that when Asda/WalMart open its doors the centre as we know it could disappear forever. The signs are already there with businesses closing and shops staying empty.
You only have to watch their TV advertising to see how ruthless they are, undercutting Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, fine but when they start on the smaller retailers we could be in trouble. I hope I am proved wrong.

Ken Houghton
The Paddock
Newton

Chairman's statement puts undue pressure on referees

IN reply to Jason Hussain's comments - Observer letters last week - I must make the following points.
Firstly, as a member of RTJFC he should know that his own chairman and website made the following statement ''As from next season any manager, coach, player or parent who questions official’s decisions will be expelled from the club straight away''.
So if a seven-year-old questions a decision he or she will be kicked out of the club? How does that not put pressure on referees? We are expected to officiate at games, not enforce inappropriate club rules.
The FA is running a scheme Respect to help recruit and retain referees and this maverick statement is irresponsible. It has caused enough concern that both the County FA and a senior FA administrator will be writing to Rugby Town JFC for an explanation.
The Birmingham County FA will be seeking clarification as to what they have meant as it does not follow normal procedures.
The National FA have passed the concerns onto a FA senior football development administrator to check compliance against their own national Respect campaign .It is also to be looked at by the FA's head of equality and child protection and head of national referee development for advice. Another club was recently brought to task over similar comments and were censured by the FA.
In this case RTJFC have cut across their own governing body's guidelines. I really enjoy refereeing and common sense is a vital part of this. Expelling kids for asking questions in ridiculous and that’s why the FA Respect campaign is the way forward.

Steve Heighton
Coton Park Drive
Rugby

Hopelessly out-dated map begs a question

FURTHER to Mr Hinton's letter last week regarding the out-dated tourist information, I picked up a map at the town hall on Monday and was amused to see that the rail station is referred to as Midland Station and that there's still a Post Office on Wood Street. The copyright is 2008.
I wonder if the people responsible for updating such information ever actually do any research?

Urs Domek

ON election day I decided not to vote. This was a first for me as I have thought that unless you put your cross you have little right to complain.
Who did you vote for as not one of the parties stops the export of livestock and horses nor do any of them curtail the ever increasing cruel intensive farming methods. To leave the battery hen cage system until 2012 is barbaric as it should be banned now after all it was first introduced in 1945.
When Tony Blair was elected Prime Minister he promised a Royal Commission to look into the animal testing labs where undercover cameras put in by animal welfare organisations had shown terrible and unnecessary suffering, but no such action has ever been taken by him.
Also, surely it is not only when the Government does not do for the poorer off, but what they do not do about those UK billionaires whose wives reside abroad, say Monaco, where no tax system exists!
Many of these extremely rich people are richer than many countries!

Janet Cummings
Tower Road
Rugby

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