Yet more ideas

The emails and messages still come in as a result of deciding to talk to people. Here’s one.

"Dear Lesley: I am writing further to the meeting you chaired at Stockbridge House to give some ideas on the topics you suggested for discussion.

1. Cycling and Walking: Make more roads one way to allow cycle lanes to be wider. Only allow parking on one side of one way streets with cycle lanes on the other side. Make it an offence to park on cycle lanes.

2. Trams: Public Inquiry - is there a point? No-one will be fined or punished for wasting public money (e.g. the guided busways debacle) so is there any point in naming and shaming those responsible?

Prof Lewis Lesley has offered to finish the line to Newhaven at no extra cost. His tramlines have been tested in Sheffield and Rotherham (and in the test Laboratory); he should be given the job.

Development of the North and South Suburban railways for public transport using tramcars.

3. Buses: Certainly keep Lothian Buses in public ownership. We need a Lothian-wide publicly-owned and planned transport system. The bus service needs to be regulated. More electronic real-time information at bus-stops.

4. Income: Inner circle congestion charges. Normal parking charges for all day parking.

5. Parking: for shoppers free from 10.00 - 3.30 pm to encourage people to shop in the city centre instead of going to peripheral shopping centres.

6. Second Forth Bridge - better to repair the old one - we don't need any grandstanding gestures by Alex Salmond.

I hope these suggestions may be of some use Lesley. I admire what you are doing in involving as many people as possible with Transport plans. Best wishes."