Letter: Why we all need to be more proactive

I quote from last week’s letter “older people need to park near the shops they need to visit”.
Traffic in HarrogateTraffic in Harrogate
Traffic in Harrogate

We are not a homogenous group. This older person enjoys the mile walk to town from Jennyfields, either walking or bussing back.

This relieves the town of our car and gives us and the dog exercise.

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The free bus pass is the answer. Subsidised public transport would go a long way in reducing this country’s carbon emissions.

If only our government could commit to this instead of pandering to the fossil fuel industry.

Driving in the Harrogate area, we all know, is a nightmare these days.

Our roads cannot cope with the volume and size of modern vehicles.

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Despite recent efforts, carbon emissions from motor vehicles continue to rise.

Much of this increase is due to the increased sale of, and fashion for, SUVs that clog up Harrogate streets and parking places.

Increased fuel use by these monsters is a major contributor to our rise in carbon emissions, according to the International Energy Agency.

Apart from those who require such a vehicle, I fail to understand why so many regard it as a status symbol to drive around Harrogate in them? Haven’t they heard of the climate emergency?

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Many of us have grandchildren and care about the world we leave behind.

The sooner cheap public transport and electric cars become the norm, the better for us all.

But it needs commitment from those in power.

We, the people, need to be more concerned and proactive instead of ‘going with the flow’ and hoping for the best.

Anne Boodt

Harrogate