Viewpoint: Faulty parking system needs to be fixed

Email Viewpoint letters to jamesp@baylismedia.co.uk or write to Viewpoint, Newspaper House, 48 Bell Street, Maidenhead, SL61HX.

Faulty parking system needs to be fixed

I am attaching a letter that I’ve copied to the CEO of Halfords, Pets At Home and Homebase to let them know that the wretched ANPR system at Maidenhead Retail Park is still producing Parking Charge Notices in an unfair and unjust manner. Please see below:

Re: SIP Parking Limited

This letter is to inform you that I am currently in dispute with SIP Parking concerning a PCN that I received for apparently exceeding the permitted parking period at Maidenhead Retail Park when in fact I made two visits to the site on the day in question (October 21, 2022) and made a purchase on both occasions.

The ANPR failed to capture my vehicle leaving the first time and returning the second time.

I appealed and uploaded my receipts to SIP but they turned down my appeal which has angered me because I know the truth and my whereabouts during the disputed period.

I have a tracking system in my car from which I can extract detailed reports to prove I did not overstay in the retail park where your company has a unit.

I have to say that this experience will make me think twice about returning in future.

I will be making my views known to our local paper the Maidenhead Advertiser and on social media platforms because the majority of people probably do not have trackers to rely on as I have and they may feel intimidated by the strong-arm nature of SIP’s PCNs and pay utterly unfair and unjust charges.

I understand the use of ANPR at retail parks to prevent bad practice but this ANPR must be maintained up to purpose and not used to squeeze money from innocent shoppers making multiple legitimate visits.

Ultimately, if this practice is allowed to continue your customers and those of the other retailers will be deterred.

I await your comments regarding this matter.

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

Lillibrooke Crescent

Maidenhead

Stop signs make it safer to cross junction

I am very pleased with the red ‘STOP’ signs and painted ‘STOP’ on both sides of the junction that RBWM Highways and Cllr Greg Jones helped organise putting in place.

After the two road traffic collisions at the crossroads of Ray Mill Road East with Ray Park Avenue in 2022, it makes it much safer for me as a parent with two toddlers crossing the junction.

JONATHAN GRANT

Ray Park Avenue

Maidenhead

What a neighbour we have in Heathrow

There was a letter headed ‘Third Runway planned but no noise relief’ from Cllr John Bowden in the Advertiser of November 3.

It was about some Heathrow PR nonsense called ‘The Council for the Independent Scrutiny of Heathrow Airport’.

And with a name like that you know it needs a lovely acronym – it’s CISHA.

I have my own more appropriate acronym for it and it’s ALOB (use your imagination).

At this particular CISHA, a Harlington resident enquired whether the ludicrous third runway (LTR) was still going ahead and the CEO, John Holland Kaye (let’s name the guilty man) said it would!

So, despite there being a real climate emergency and Zoom conferencing has massively expanded, making face-to-face meetings less necessary, still the idiots at Heathrow insist on going ahead with a third runway.

I wonder if in the future our descendents will be appearing as holograms in a virtual Advertiser complaining about Heathrow’s plans for a FIFTH runway?

Cllr Bowden reminds us that the third runway was granted planning permission back in 2017…and let us not forget who was PM when that permission was granted.

It was of course our very own Christmas card competition judge, Theresa May, who followed David ‘No Ifs No Buts No Third Runway’ Cameron.

And of course the Conservatives’ very own fluffy-haired Latin scholar, despite promising to lay down in front of the bulldozers, failed to even lay down in front of Mrs May.

It seems so long ago now though, doesn’t it?

Actually, I very much sympathise with a Windsor resident called Andrew Hall who regularly writes letters to the Advertiser about jets flying at 948 feet at 2.17am or maybe 724 feet at 3.05 am over Windsor.

He politely asks why Heathrow permits it.

The reason of course is that Holland Kaye and his mob don’t give a damn about the noise and pollution misery they cause to millions of people, including Windsor residents.

All they really care about is maximising profits for Heathrow, whilst grandly insisting it’s absolutely essential for maintaining ‘The UK Economy’.

Finally, we must never forget that the neighbour from hell was one of the main UK delivery points for COVID-19.

And as reported in the Advertiser, a Heathrow jet was even found to have dropped excrement on Windsor – although admittedly it was the frozen variety.

So never mind the CISHA (or ALOB as I call it), that one act alone demonstrates just how much Heathrow really cares about its neighbours.

MALCOLM STRETTEN

Boulters Lane

Maidenhead

Rishi Sunak rant was a Viewpoint too far

It cannot have escaped regular readers’ notice that the ‘Viewpoint’ section has been decidedly thin of late. Perhaps one reason is that the contributions no longer adequately reflect local concerns but have degenerated into predictable, and now boring, rants – usually about Brexit.

The most recent edition features another submission by regular ranter James Aidan.

On this occasion he has surpassed himself.

His highly personal attack on Rishi Sunak and his family was – hopefully – meant to be ironic, but unfortunately appears just to display a degree of envy and abuse that has become typical of Mr Aidan’s ilk.

This sort of outburst is for the gutter press and its social media cousins such as Twitter.

I sincerely fear that the once fine reputation of the Advertiser is becoming steadily eroded; and this will inevitably be reflected ultimately in circulation figures.

I understand that the editor’s job entails giving a platform on an unbiased basis to all, but may I urge you to exercise your editorial scissors in favour of at least polite debate on local issues; goodness knows we have a lot directly on our doorsteps to discuss.

Dr B W DARRACOTT

Maidenhead

Editor’s note: As previously noted on these pages, I will always give priority to letters focusing on local issues and welcome submissions from new contributors on a variety of topics. I can only print the letters I receive.

Email jamesp@baylismedia.co.uk or write to Viewpoint, Newspaper House, 48 Bell Street, Maidenhead, SL61HX to join the conversation.

Time to strive for tolerance and harmony

I was sorry to read in last week’s Advertiser (November 3) that James Aidan seems to have missed the point when it comes to choosing a Prime Minister.

I am sure that he would agree that we need someone (1) with the integrity to resign from a lucrative cabinet post when it becomes clear that the leader is acting improperly, (2) someone who knows how to manage money on a large scale, (3) someone with management experience, (4) someone who puts the needs of country before a determination to cling to their employment as a constituency representative at all costs, (5) someone without a police record for breaking the law, (6) someone who does not enjoy illegal partying while their constituents are kept apart from relatives dying of COVID-19, (7) someone who is not a serial liar, and (8) someone who is not a self-seeking egotist who will jump on any bandwagon once it looks likely to be on a successful course.

I am sure that the author was not intending to sound bitter and envious, but Mr Sunak’s predecessor claimed to have came from a solid working class background and was disastrous as PM.

Nor is the only qualification for the job to be a ‘fighter and not a quitter’ to quote Miss Truss.

Furthermore, it looks bad if a political party chooses its leader purely on the basis of his/her ability to win a General Election and thus prevent the MPs from losing their jobs, even when they had recently thrown the same individual out because of his lack of suitability.

Thinking of Mr Johnson as a ‘lovable rogue’ and as ‘human as the rest of us’ also misses the point entirely when it comes to suitability as Prime Minister.

I am sure that Mr Aidan would hate to think that his article could be read as a bit racist.

Similarly, the otherwise excellent piece on fireworks/explosives, by Malcolm Stretton in the Advertiser (October 27), could be criticised for being offensive to a specific religious group within our society for their use of fireworks to celebrate Diwali, when increasing use is made of these products to celebrate Christmas, other festivals, birthdays, and New Year by different communities in our richly diverse UK population.

With the planet facing disaster, and the threat of nuclear warfare in Europe, we need tolerance and harmony in our communities so that the best qualities in all individuals can be recognised and enjoyed.

ADRIAN DOBLE

Cookham Dean

Further democracy would be no intrusion

This week there were concerns expressed regarding use of the word ‘invasion’ to describe the actions of people from poorer but safe countries, eg Albania, arriving by boat in Kent.

Coincidentally this week the UK is attending the Egypt conference on climate change.

It is a huge issue because of the massive quantities of coal, oil and gas we humans consume for transport , electricity, heating and the manufacture of millions of tons a year of fertilisers, metals, cement and plastics; all ‘essential’ to sustaining today’s population levels, but damaging to the climate.

Such issues limit the population each country or part of the planet can sustain and the safe approach should be to keep within limits we know to be sustainable.

Unfortunately today, some people put compassion for those seeking to move to developed countries above sustainability.

The usual explanation is that these people are human beings – but the human animal is the most destructive animal on the planet.

It is human beings who are polluting the climate, polluting the oceans and causing destruction of forests, exploding atomic weapons, etc.

It is the human animal that is abusing its role on the planet and must implement controls to limit the population to sustainable levels in every country.

The consequences of overpopulation are not unknown and our politicians, national and local, should always err on the side of caution and the use of the word ‘invasion’ is quite apt.

An Oxford dictionary defines ‘invasion’ as ‘an unwelcome intrusion into another’s domain’ – sensible and apt.

Another key issue, however, is that in a democracy, our politicians should reflect the views of the British people and on key issues such as immigration our MPs should be asking their constituents for their views and where there is concern, such issues should be subject to a national referendum.

Similarly in Maidenhead our councilors should be asking residents for their views on tower blocks and if in doubt, as Maidonians, ie hold a referendum.

JOHN ALLISON

Clarefield Drive

Maidenhead

Right, that’s sufficient with the -gate suffix

Is there no end to the ‘-gate’ situation within the portal of Westminster?

Having recently endured partygate, beergate, plebgate, and porkygate, we now have lobbygate, bullygate, blubbinggate, whipgate, swinegate, escapegate, frackinggate and the ultimate Prime Minister’s net zero tzargate trying to mitigate with still the most frightening nine words in the English language: “I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.”

Arrgh! Do send in the Daleks and Extermigate! Extermigate! Extermigate!

T D SMITH

Village Road

Dorney