Wield your big stick

I was born in Doncaster in 1938 and lived above my father's shoe repair business in Netherhall Road until I began work at the age of 16.

A community of residential houses and shops, we knew each other and helped one another if needed. The nearby town centre with its vibrant and busy market offered the market gardeners of the area the opportunity to bring and sell their produce. The farms brought cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry to the extensive cattle market with its large auction ring. Sadly, almost all of this is now gone.

When I travel to town and back on the bus each week, I frequently wonder if town planners have ever used a public service bus - perhaps some of them don't even live in the town. The bus routes have been altered and tampered with to such an extent that bus drivers find themselves negotiating tight corners and roads - often parked up with meter bays. Cleveland Street and Wood Street are just two examples. Journey times have doubled and traffic jams are the norm all day.

Pedestrian only Silver Street and Hallgate, the 'Night Life Capital' most of us are not interested in, has played havoc with local businesses on those streets with little thought to their owners' livelihoods.

It is all very well sitting in smart new offices, gazing at computer screens and computer models used in the planning of our towns; it may look perfect on the screen, but in reality, it is often chaos in real-life situations - the opposite of progress, I suggest!

What about our roads and pavements? 'Eyes down' is the imperative order of the day when walking for fear of falling. Why are the drains and gutters not cleaned regularly? No wonder there is so much standing water. Last autumn's leaves still clogging our footpaths and gutters prevent natural drainage. Rain and snow during the winter is not a new phenomenon but failure to clean the gutters and drains is.

Come on Mayor Ros Jones, wield your big stick and get some improvements made in these areas.

I am a 'Victor Meldrew', I know, but that is how I feel about my home town of Doncaster!

Margaret E Burdis

Doncaster