Dear Sir,
I agree whole-heartedly with the correspondence in recent issues of the Daily Bulletin about road conditions and speeding drivers (Martin Mcleish, Sunday, Feb 18 for one). As a holiday maker who is driving a left-hand drive car (hired) on what is to me (from Cornwall, UK) the wrong side of the road for the first time, may I say that the thing that has caused me most concern is the sharp drop at the edge of the tarmac on many of the country roads. To drop a wheel over there, even at slow speeds, could cause damage to the steering mechanism and at higher speeds lead to roll-overs. I have been forced over many times by drivers coming at me over the centre of the road, giving my passenger moments of anxiety as he views the drop on his side!
At this time of year there aren't as many tourists about as in the season, so I have received much consideration as I have hesitated when unsure of my next direction, but it is upsetting to be hooted at by some impatient drivers if one is not smartly away at traffic lights and junctions. An angry driver (both the hooted at and the hooter) is more likely to make an error of judgement and cause an accident!
Your sign-posting for major towns is excellent but putting the sign-post at the actual turn-off point for smaller places, with no previous warning of its coming, leads to sudden braking and a possible rear-end shunt.
The council claims it hasn't enough money to re-surface many of your roads. The pot-holes, rough surfaces and strange cambers one encounters are very disconcerting, but where your roads are good, they are very good and the same applies to your drivers. I shall have returned home by the time you receive this letter, but I would like to say how much I have enjoyed my stay in Majorca in spite of the odd days of heavy rain. You have some wonderful places to visit such as LLuch amd the mountain vistas on the way to Sa Calobra. I enjoyed pitting my driving skills against the hair-pin bends and oncoming coaches in order to enjoy the end results.
Yours sincerely,
Foot and Mouth
Dear Sir,
MR Blair doesn't want to re-schedule the UK May Elections for fear of sending out the wrong messages world-wide. Both he and his Agricultural Minister say that the Foot and Mouth epidemic is well under control. Well Mr. Blair you have certainly succeeded in getting a key message to both the UK electorate and to the world. Why not go the whole hog and cull all the animals and then you could confidently say Epidemic? there is no epidemic.