AS a (fairly) recently-retired master from Calmac, I wholeheartedly agree with the comments expressed by a retiring master in your recent article ("Ferry master quits with savage attack on Calmac", The Herald, July 9). The main raison d'etre of Calnac is to provide a lifeline ferry
service to the islands. Senior management should concentrate on this and use the talents of, and listen to the views of, a pool of very
experienced and dedicated staff already at their disposal for the benefit of islands and their communities.
Tendering to run ferry services and ports in other parts of the UK and Europe and introducing a RET (road equivalent tariff) that benefits the casual traveller more than the regular user may be a boost to some egos but does little to improve the service to the people who depend on it for day to day living
Andy Davidson (Master Mariner ret'd), East Kilbride.
Not cheats, just smart
ALAN Stephen (Letters, July 11) asserts that " nobody bothers" to pay for metered car parking. Mr Stephen has obviously not heard of the RingGo parking app, by which the motorist pays for parking with his mobile phone. No machine-issued ticket is needed.
In these days of extortionate parking charges it is impracticable to carry sufficient coinage to pay for an hour or two's parking. In Edinburgh recently, I paid more than £13 for three hours' parking in George Street. I am sure that if Mr Stephen hangs around parking meter sites for longer, he will see extensive use of payment by mobile phone.
David Miller, Milngavie.
ALAN Stephen has made the same mistake as many Luddites like me have made in not realising these modern things called smartphones which can be used to pay for your parking time.
Though, on a more serious note, do the wardens check all non-ticket ones have paid? Has the car overstayed the two-hour limit? I regularly on my way to and from work see same cars at the same place eight hours later, sometimes with multiple payment tickets stuck on the windscreen. Finally, even though I do know a disability is not always visible, are there really that many disabled car owners working in Glasgow city centre?
Dougie Jardine, Bishopbriggs.
Gull friends
BEFORE Glasgow scares away the seagulls with a penchant for pigeons with Russell Smith's proposed gun (Letters, July 11), please send some up to Gregg`s cafe in Buchanan Street bus station to rid them of the two pigeons who regularly patrol below the tables for sustenance. Regarding naming of the gun, why not call it the "You`ll have had your tea" gun since Edinburgh didn't use the more appropriate name for theirs?
George Dale, Beith.
Tough call
SHOULD the uniforms of the All England Lawn Tennis Association officials be redesigned to appear more flattering and forgiving, or should the maturer portly line judges at Wimbledon be encouraged to attend weight management classes?
Robin M Brown, Milngavie.
WONDERFUL Wimbers again. Terrific spectacle, only marred by the doubles players having to "touchy feely" each other at the end of every point. Makes me cringe but then I thought maybe there is something in it. so I tried it with my wife at breakfast. Her response was "What the hell do you think you're up to?"
Norman Adams, Giffnock.
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