SPEAKING as somebody who has spent a significant part of his career trying, with varying degrees of success, to resuscitate victims of road trauma, I was dismayed, but not surprised, by the latest spate of road deaths in Glasgow ("Safety fears as two pedestrians killed on city roads in five hours", The Herald, June 5). Ten fatalities so far this year, compared with a total of seven in 2022 – this, in a Scotland-wide context of increasing carnage, with nearly 2,000 deaths or serious injuries (174 deaths) in 2022.
The problem is primarily cultural. Very few people adhere to the speed limits. You only need to drive into Glasgow from the north-east to see this. There is a 50mph speed limit on the M80 commencing about seven miles from the city centre. It is almost universally ignored. Evidently most people consider the limit is inappropriate, and that people who adhere to it are merely being pedantic. The trouble with this is that you now have two classes of driver, one observing the rules, the other flouting them, and there is no agreed convention as to how to use the highway. That is to say, there is no universally-accepted culture. In other words, there is anarchy. And then people wonder why 174 were killed on Scottish roads last year.
Speeding should carry the same stigma as drink driving. We need to adopt the attitude of the airline industry and say: “Safety is our highest priority.” We all need to take ownership of the problem. This is my problem, because it is everybody’s problem. Road safety is a combined, collegiate activity.
Frustration plays a role, often pivotal, in many road crashes. People tail-gate, grind their teeth, and pull out on blind corners. When it all goes pear-shaped, they are inclined to blame the driver ahead who was adhering to the limit. Here is a tip to avoid frustration. Estimate the duration of your journey. Then add on half as much again. If it takes 10 minutes, give yourself 15. If it takes two hours, give yourself three. Then you will find yourself happy to adhere to all the speed limits, and if you find yourself behind a slow-moving farm vehicle, you will thank its driver for putting bread on your table.
Dr Hamish Maclaren, Stirling.
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Second home policy is unfair
I NOTE with interest Caroline Wilson's article ("SNP policies ‘as damaging as the Clearances’, says holiday let owner", The Herald, June 3).
I do understand the difficulties re accommodation for island communities and providing for temporary hospitality staff.
My family has a second home on Arran. It has been in the family since 1815 (a relative returning from Waterloo) and was formerly a croft.
I consider myself very fortunate but think of myself as the custodian carrying on from previous generations for the benefit of my own children and grandchildren.
Family members over the generations emigrated to the United States, Canada and England, mainly for economic reasons. Those cousins continue to return to Arran and stay at the cottage.
It is a family home. Council tax is already 100% in this area. It is used regularly throughout the year by family and occasional friends, but not rented.
The property is obviously old and has stone walls and floors. Despite regular maintenance and improvements – for example re-roofing with slate, sash double glazing, insulation – it is impossible to achieve the proposed energy efficiency rating, a similar problem for many rural old properties. Solar panels and heat exchange pumps are not suitable.
Maintenance is an issue as the cottage sits on a raised beach battered by the elements and coastal erosion. Repairs and work are all undertaken by local tradesmen.
I would urge anyone in a similar position to voice their concerns during the Scottish Government's consultation period ending on July 11.
May MacEwen, Lenzie.
Read more: We are right to rage against the machines
The poverty of nations
PRIOR to going to Kirkcaldy this morning it was great to read your article about the Tercentenary of Adam Smith ("A tribute to our titan of economics in five acts", The Herald, June 5). So the enactment in the High Street at his birthplace did not take us by surprise.
A maroon vintage open-topped carriage, drawn by two magnificent, patient black horses whose very hooves had been polished, waited outside. A scarlet-coated, top-hatted girl groom steadied them for the coach driver above holding the reins. Meanwhile a man and woman in retro costume carried a shawl-wrapped "baby" and prepared to climb on board.
Adam Smith, writer of The Wealth of Nations. About three yards to the right of this scenario, sitting on the cold pavement, was an unshaven beggar with his cardboard begging cup. Oh.
Susan Grant, Colinsburgh, Fife.
The absent council
HAS anyone tried to telephone Glasgow City Council recently? Well, don’t bother, because there’s no one there.
If, however, you want to listen to endless recorded messages, get put through to a hopeless call centre and then get put through to a number that rings out and returns you to a switchboard that’s closed, then Glasgow City Council is right for you.
Desmond Cheyne, Glasgow.
BBC should ignore ITV
AT one time, the BBC didn’t acknowledge the existence of ITV, other than comedians occasionally referring to "the other side".
Given the BBC’s obsession with This Morning maybe it’s time for a return to that policy.
Stuart Neville, Clydebank.
Edinburgh's very own LEZ
I AM fully in favour of a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in Glasgow ("Particulates down on dirtiest street in Scotland as LEZ set up", The Herald, June 3). Let’s hope that Holyrood in Edinburgh soon becomes a LEZ too. Any blue-sky thinking that improves on the toxic atmosphere and quality of the hot air circulating there is welcome.
As it happens, signage would pose no particular problem, what with it already being the Lesser Edinburgh Zoo.
Alison Ram, Helensburgh.
• HERE’S a suggestion for John Coyle (Letters, June 3) who is giving up on nights out in Glasgow because his car doesn’t meet LEZ requirements: drive to Milngavie and then go to the city by train or bus. Simple.
Kay Fox, Glasgow.
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