You’ve been warned about not using bus

EARLIER in the year the Pickering community bus stopped running due to lack of support.

However, after much protest from the residents of Pickering and the signing of petitions, the council decided to run a bus for the Pickering Community for a trial period of six months, stressing if it wasn’t used, it would be taken out of service.

I have noticed on many occasions, and although the bus is a smaller vehicle, it still runs past my bungalow empty.

A friend of mine who lives in a different part of Pickering, and also benefits by this service, has said the same.

I don’t need the service at the moment as I still drive, but with only about three months of the trial period left, it looks doubtful the service will continue.

Residents were warned of the outcome if the service wasn’t used.

Will they protest again, I wonder?

Ann Searle, Pickering

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Improve safety

I LED a guided ride for Ride Yorkshire from Saltergate car park, on the A169 Pickering to Sleights road, on Sunday, September 2.

We saw a group of motorcycles racing along this stretch in excess of 100mph.

There is inadequate protection for horse riders to reach the bridleway crossing point on this fast and busy road.

It is imperative that highways do something to improve safety on this stretch of road before there is a serious accident.

A speed limit, traffic calming measures and at the very least safety fencing to protect riders before the crossing is a must.

Bill Tait, Helmsley

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A win for all of us

THE summing up and the decision by District Judge Adrian Lower was a win for all of us (Fracking protest woman loses case, Gazette & Herald, September 5).

I never disputed the fact that I chained myself to the gate at KM8.

I have full respect for the Judge and Crown Prosecutor, Neil Coxen.

The freedom I received in the court to speak a truth that neither the Government or the energy corporations want to hear, was testimony of British justice in a magistrates court, operating at its finest. This freedom went beyond anything I could ever have imagined possible. Played out in that building of historical significance it was almost Shakespearian in its depth.

It was testimonial in that “ecocide” has not yet been recognised in law (alongside genocide) as a serious crime against humanity.

When it is, my civil action of reclaiming democracy, albeit for a short time... of raising the alarm to the dangers of fracking and our Government’s subordination to corporate power, will (one day) be recognised as being on the right side of history.

The law is always in catch-up of where the people want it to be. There was no winning or losing as regards being guilty or not guilty.

In fact the guilty verdict, with the minimum sentence and no court costs, was clear recognition of that.

Heather Stroud, Gilling East

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A serious charge

A CHARGE of mendacity is serious (Gazette & Herald, August 29) and deserves the right of reply.

I said nothing that is not documented in government reports or recent peer reviewed articles and would be happy to give the references to Lorraine Allanson.

Let us consider the “poppycock”. The figures are in fact given to us by the producers and they certainly do not envisage an industry comprising only 10 to 12 well pads in Ryedale which contains approximately nine PEDL areas.

Talking to parish councillors, INEOS said that it envisaged 10 pads within each of its PEDL areas. Third Energy has indicated it intends to develop 14 pads containing 400 wells.

At the Examination in Public last April, the industry questioned its ability to meet its requirements with a density of only 10 pads per PEDL area.

Finally, if only 10 to 12 pads were seen as a “possibility” in all Ryedale, the industry should have had no problems with the 3.5k buffer zone to which they strongly objected.

On the question of protected areas, I would feel a lot more secure if the industry adopted the definition of fracking as laid out in North Yorkshire’s Joint Minerals and Waste Plan, which emphasises process rather than volume of water.

The industry prefers the definition as laid out in the Infrastructure Act based on volume of water used.

Operations using less water would not be defined as fracking and could therefore be allowed from the surface of protected areas.

Few doubt the future general need for some gas. However, if power generation only needs it for “backup”, this suggests a much reduced consumption. There is no need to develop a new source of gas that in the words of the Gas Supply Assessment, “is not necessary for energy security.” (October 12, 2017).

Peter Allen, Cawton