COUNCIL OPINION

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BUS LANE
Having had the pleasure of witnessing the new 100m bus lane in Osmaston Road this morning as I was driving through Allenton to Derby (it's not a crime), I was wondering why the traffic was backed up much more than normal. Of course, when I finally got to Spider Island I found out. The traffic in my opinion backed up at least 150m more than normal. So if we, and Derby City Council, think about it all, the bus lane is slowing the bus down! I know this for a fact as the bus was following me!

I cannot believe what a waste of time and taxpayers money this is. The bus is not going to get anywhere quicker using this silly lane and the car driver is also slowed down into the bargain. I read this lane cost £500. And we will have to put up with it until it is scrubbed out at yet more cost. Could the leadership of the council please spend some money on improving things in the city instead of wasting people's time and money? Perhaps they should ask the people in Derby what they want and how to do it? Philip Ingall

COUNCIL DETERMINED TO DESTROY
Why is it, when anything is aesthetically pleasing, Derby City Council has an overwhelming urge to destroy it? After the arid appearance of the Market Place with its ugly waterfall and even uglier Assembly Rooms facade, it is a pleasure to come upon this pleasant little oasis in the midst of all the chaos there is in Derby city centre. I often used to sit there early on summer mornings while waiting for a bus to work and always found it a calm and peaceful spot.

And let us not forget what it replaced. Derby citizens and visitors suffered the "hole in the ground" eyesore for an unacceptable length of time. Who is to say that this arts centre will not go the same way as whatever building it was, that was aborted before it was hardly begun and left Derby ratepayers, no doubt, with the task of footing the bill for the filling in of the underpass and the clearance of the site?

Since the 1970s I have watched my home town battered and demolished as if a horde of vandals had descended upon it. And while it is too late for all those lovely old buildings that have been destroyed in the name of progress, I urge you to use your influence to protect something that replaced ugliness and is well worth preserving. S A Bostock

QUAD NOT NEEDED
What does the city council think it is playing at in even considering spending millions on something that the public doesn't want to see? I am, of course, talking about Quad. Not only is the design a joke but also it will apparently be painted in garish colours to make it stick out even more like a proverbial sore thumb. The whole sorry package is then to be dumped on to the lovely green and open memorial gardens.

Personally I would prefer to see the "hole in the ground" back. But then, when you see the fountain in the Market Place and the car park on Traffic Street, you realise that the council does have an unfortunate habit of getting things desperately wrong. I personally think money would be better spent on more public lavatories (no, not the waterfall).

The city needs many more to cope with the ever increasing proliferation of pubs and clubs, and ones that remain open 24 hours seven days a week and are cleaned and policed regularly. Derby really doesn't want this unnecessary monstrosity called Quad. Jon Bate

NO SOLUTION
Last summer resident of New Zealand Square had problems with groups of teenagers shouting late at night, jumping in people's hedges, telling younger children who live on the square that they couldn't play, and being rude to a few of the very elderly residents. After months of diary sheets and community watch visits the council came up with a solution for our problems. A youth worker for the area? a community centre? No.... A "No ball game" sign. The teenagers are obviously terrified by this and have no alternative but to uproot it whilst playing football, and then put it back when they have done.

Over the last couple of weeks the youngsters are back. One evening they were shouting until 10.30pm. This is a school night and they should be at home and not out waking younger children. Another evening at about 5pm we had 22 of them playing football and swearing at the younger children. When I called Mackworth Housing Office they said we need to fill in more diary sheets, but myself and three other neighbours do not want any more diary sheets. It took months last year to get the problem resolved and we don't want the same thing now.

A community watch van came out and he had to call the police as the teenagers were swearing and spitting at him and rocking his van. The sad fact is, there is nothing for these children to do. We have no community centre or youth club. If we lived in Normanton or Osmaston we would be better off, these areas get lots of funding and get regenerated all the time. What do we get? I have been told that they are going to re-cement the "No ball game" sign. So end of problem then? I think not! Anon