MANY, many years ago there was a well-known advertising slogan: Let the train take the strain.

It was intended to promote public transport – encouraging people to get out of their cars and relax in a railway carriage seat, watching the countryside flash by and getting to a destination safely and calmly.

It sadly does not hold true in 2013.

Being a car-driving Huddersfield Giants fan, I decided that my annual pilgrimage to the Magic Weekend in Manchester would be better made by train. Car parking issues and the possibility of enjoying a tipple or two during the course of seven rugby league matches were foremost in my mind.

What a mistake! I sensibly booked and bought train tickets on line for a return journey from Huddersfield to Manchester and took the opportunity to reserve a seat.

Saturday morning saw huge crowds gathering on Platform 1 at Huddersfield railway station, only to be told the next two trains to Manchester were delayed.

That was inconvenient but no great problem.

The problems started when each of those trains arrived and would-be passengers at Huddersfield found it almost impossible to board.

Every corridor, every space on each train was crammed to the rafters with people - many of them rugby fans, but others holidaymakers complete with luggage bound for Manchester Airport.

I managed to jam myself into a tiny space close to the doors, along with at least a dozen others, and endured the 30-minute journey feeling far from relaxed.

The return journey late on Sunday evening was only slightly better with people standing again in every corridor on the train.

Rail bosses must have known there was likely to be a demand for services.

It was a holiday weekend and there was a big sporting event in Manchester likely to attract thousands from West Yorkshire.

Let the train take the strain? Hand me the car keys.

N Atkinson

Newsome

Non-magical attitude

THE Rugby League Magic Weekend is a marvellous concept and on Sunday, May 26,five members of my family attended, as we have done regularly over the years, this time taking our eight-year-old grandson for the first time.

As always we went to watch all the games that day, arriving at the stadium shortly after 2pm and leaving at 9.20pm.

This is a lengthy stint (quite different from attending a one-off match or indeed a concert – more akin to spending a day at the cricket) and, although we always spend very good money on refreshments inside the stadium, we also brought our own sandwiches etc – as we have previously done without problem at Cardiff and indeed last year at Manchester.

This year however we were refused entry to the stadium until we had disposed of our food by an army of stewards who behaved as if they were supervising a Millwall v Leeds United football match.

My grandson (who had been immensely looking forward to the day) was not even allowed to take in a small packet of biscuits and sweets, and for him the word “Etihad” now means “unfriendly; unwelcoming; money-grasping”.

We saw many, many fans (Giants and others) undergoing the same unpleasant experience.

The Etihad is a fine stadium; the rugby was excellent; the Giants had a good win; but the values of the stadium are totally at odds with a family event and a carnival atmosphere.

Unless the RFL and Stadium authorities bring in a more common-sense policy next year, we will boycott the event.

Richard Brook

Upper Cumberworth

Common sense, please

ON MAY 13, a public meeting was held at the Civic Hall, Slaithwaite to discuss the submitted planning application for a new supermarket on the former Colne Mills site.

However, this has now been complemented by an adjacent major application for local comment on the long-awaited Globe Mills project. Hence the public’s overwhelming concerns were defined as: local traffic management; the effect of no parking on Britannia Road, the ‘infamous’ Market Place roundabout; and the pollution aspect of even more 40 ton articulated lorries visiting our over-crowded village!

Indeed, on behalf of the Lingards Community Association, I invited the panel consisting of our local councillors: Kirklees Planning officers and others to peruse the existing traffic flows between 4.30-5.30pm (Thursday and Friday) at Market Place and see the existing traffic chaos for themselves!

Indeed, the complimentary Globe application, will see dozens of cars at peak times exiting Bridge Street and even more cars visiting to take advantage of the envisaged new supermarket.

And, now we see the dreaded Local Development Framework under revision with the planned numbers of homes within Kirklees to be drastically increased.

That may well see another 600+ homes built in Slaithwaite and Linthwaite!

Meanwhile, let planning commonsense prevail. The LCA has written to Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney and our local councillors to ensure that a full public consultation on these major planning developments is now forthcoming, together with an investigation into a possible “relief–road” via the Spa Mill Estate on to Manchester Road that all interested parties would most surely welcome!

Finally, like many others I welcome the jobs about to be created for the betterment of the village, but let us first apply a level of “common sense” at the planning stage for the safety and benefit of us all!

Alan Knight

(Lingards Community Association-Spokesperson)

Keep children safe

FOLLOWING the shocking news that two girls were approached by two different men who tried to abduct them ( May 22), it is good to hear that the schools and local police are reinforcing safety messages.

Thankfully, the girls involved knew how to respond and got away to safety and told adults what had happened.

I was a little concerned that the classroom work was to focus on ‘stranger danger’, as over 90% of children who are hurt are targeted by someone they know.

I understand that in these two cases, the men were not known to the children, but by focusing solely on strangers, we may be put children more at risk.

In our work with children and young people, we talk about ‘people who try to trick you’ and use games and activities to empower the children to make safe choices – even if it is someone they know.

We suggest parents play the ‘what if’ game with their children to assess how aware they are about their safety (e.g. what if our neighbour asked you to get into his car and go for an ice-cream?)

It is important that we help our children to stay safe without scaring them and using games can really help with this approach.

The tragic high profile cases of April Jones and Tia Sharp demonstrate that it is not only strangers who hurt children.

Julie Tweedale

Director, Freedom Personal Safety, Slaithwaite