When residents' letters containing direct reference to my own role as a councillor are published in the Mercury I try to make personal contact with the writers rather than engage in point scoring newspaper correspondence. This is essential when suitable
When residents' letters containing direct reference to my own role as a councillor are published in the Mercury I try to make personal contact with the writers rather than engage in point scoring newspaper correspondence. This is essential when suitable responses may require considerable thought and several pages of typescript as happened last week following the wide-ranging letters from V Harvey, of Swiss Road, and Andy Patten, of Jubilee Road. However, sometimes the names of letter writers appear in neither the telephone directory or the Register of Electors, emanate from some far distant town or come from 'Name & address supplied', making personal contact quite impossible, leaving one wondering the real purpose of the correspondence.On the specific point about a possible reinstatement of Weston railway station's bay platform I don't understand Mr Patten's worry that 'during construction' it would cause havoc. The bay platform is already there and doesn't need to be 'constructed'. It just needs to be brought back into use. Track improvements at Worle Junction and limited reintroduction of track doubling on the loop line towards Weston Milton will increase rail capacity. This would be further improved by the reopening of Weston's bay platform. Of course so much depends on the ability of First Great Western to provide a proper service and to this end my professional transport colleagues in the council have been in almost daily contact with all rail service providers, user groups and Government ministers.I don't pretend to have the definitive answer to our transport problems but I do feel that a properly funded and regulated public transport authority covering the greater Bristol area is one way towards providing the travelling public with the co-ordinated service it both needs and deserves. It happens elsewhere so why not here?JOHN CROCKFORD-HAWLEY - Executive Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, North Somerset Council
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