Your letters...

Priorities need to change

Sir, — I was very interested in the very detailed letter from Vic Angell (Standard, December 12). He had obviously spent a great amount of time finding out many facts.

Two facts I would like to add: Do we want to save money or save lives? The answer is obvious. We need to find more part-time firefighters, possibly some who already have part-time jobs, to have more availability in the daytime.

l know this may be difficult but it is very important. The firefighters in Henley do an excellent job, I know as my father was one of them some years ago. — Yours faithfully,

Peter Giles

Earley

Lighting must be improved

I am writing to follow up on my previous concerns (Standard letters, November 28), as I am disappointed that I have still not received a response from Henley Town Council.

This evening (December 14), at 5.50pm, I attempted once again to safely charge my vehicle at the same location — Mill Meadows car park, by the River & Rowing Museum.

I had hoped that, given it has now been nearly a month since I first raised this issue, the problem of insufficient lighting would have been addressed. Unfortunately, the situation remains unchanged.

While I can see that some areas of the car park have had lighting repaired, the light that serves the EV charging area is still not functioning.

As a lone female, this continues to be a genuine safety concern. Although it was not as late in the evening on this occasion, the charging area remains poorly lit and feels unsafe to use.

It is disheartening that this issue does not appear to have been prioritised, particularly at a time when the country is actively encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles.

I would appreciate confirmation that this matter is being taken seriously and an update on when the lighting at the charging point will be repaired. — Yours faithfully,

Tracey Lynch

Address supplied

Pantomime is not funny

Sir, — Oh no, not again! It may be pantomime time but the roadworks at the Northfield End junction in Henley were certainly no pantomime.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks came to mend the light in the lamp post only, found that it was a faulty cable, so dug a small hole in the road and the power company did not have spare cable? Unbelievable.

So, instead of filling the hole temporarily or covering with a metal plate, they left the site for two-and-a-half days and the four-way traffic lights were left in place causing the most amazing delays.

The economy of the town must have suffered considerably, shops, restaurants and many businesses. The town came to a grinding halt from Monday to Thursday, with no workmen near the site.

When they returned with the new cable it was quickly repaired, in three hours. For heaven’s sake surely there must be a co-ordinator in Oxfordshire County Council?

It gives licences for road closures, we pay council tax. Please get your act together and no more pantomimes like what was seen last week. — Yours faithfully,

Rosemary Duckett

Marlow Road, Henley

Damaging to town economy

Sir, — The roadworks at the junction of the A4155 Marlow Road and Northfield End are having a disastrous effect on the economy of Henley.

These works have completely snarled up the whole town as not one but two mini roundabouts are paralysed by the four-way temporary lights.

The beating heart of the town has been shut down by the same blood clot in the same place more than three times and seemingly at random in the past four months. It’s almost becoming the norm. The lights and consequent disruption are more often than not for no reason as it is most unusual to see work actually happening.

It is totally unacceptable that the whole town is paralysed every time a utility company wishes to tweak a cable or some pipework.

Surely this should have been foreseen by our “expert” town planners and a large tunnel or tunnels should have been placed under the busy junction in which to lay/alter/mend cabling and pipes so they could be inspected/replaced more conveniently. — Yours faithfully,

Sophie O’Sullivan

Henley

Days without any progress

Where were the workmen allegedly repairing the road at Northfield End? There were two days of no one working.

Chaos, with cars waiting for three quarters of an hour to get in and out. The government wants people to be in work, what’s the point when they have workmen doing nothing? All the carbon emissions of all the cars waiting for the work to be done. People having problems to get to work and appointments. — Yours faithfully,

Lewis Every

Henley

Embarrassed by our roads

Editor, — Last year, you published a full-page coverage of the dangerous condition of the road through Mays Green towards Chalk Hill with the promise from county councillor Stefan Gawrysiak that repair of the numerous dangerous potholes would soon be effected.

On Monday last week, after a wait of nearly 12 months, contractors drove down the road in torrential rain tossing limited quantities of tarmac “crumble” into a few water-filled holes before driving away.

Five hundred yards further on, there remains the top half of a traffic cone protruding from a deep pothole that they didn’t touch. That pothole “killed” a car last winter which resulted in the road being closed for a few days.

As taxpayers contributing to the cost and effectiveness of this “repair” of a road we use almost daily, we felt despair at the inevitable reappearance of the potholes, anger at the waste of money, shock that the contractors could deem this to have been a job well done and embarrassment as our Australian visitors with us judged this as evidence of the cause of the “brokenness” of Britain’s roads. — Yours faithfully,

Sheelagh Hill and Aram Kothi

Kiln Lane, Binfield Heath

More benefits

of solar power

Editor, — It was a pleasure to read Rebecca Chandler-Wilde’s Emergency Matters column (Standard, November 28) on the progress being made with solar panels and electric vehicles.

The benefits do accrue over time but having had both for a number of years they do provide a lot of rewards in the middle to long term.

However, the benefit I enjoy most, which was not mentioned, is charging your EV on a sunny day through your solar panels. The savings come even quicker in combination and I urge others to give it a go. — Yours faithfully,

David Dickie

St Katherine’s Road, Henley