SIR – With the dark nights drawing in, I am reminded yet again of the woefully inadequate beacon lights on the St Peter’s Drive Norton Road pedestrian crossing. 
As I indicated in a letter to this paper in December 2012, they are far less effective than the LED halos on the Farne Road crossing. 
In that same month the difference between the two sets of lights was discussed at a meeting of the St Peter’s Parish Council, at which time concerns were raised regarding the poor visibility of the globe-type lights.
But, here we are, some three years on, still having to use what I would consider to be a hazardous crossing.
In addition, now the lights do not appear to be synchronised, and so their effectiveness is reduced even further. 
ALAN SHEPPARD 
St Peter’s, Worcester

Worcester citizens should have a say
SIR – I read with concern the application to build a
965-house super-village to the west of Worcester at Crown East (October  26 and 27) – just part of an even bigger plan for 2,165 dwellings. This appears to be right on the route of the Northern Link Road, the building of which is still I believe County Council policy. While its current priorities are understandably to get Carrington Bridge dualled with its associated road works, there is no doubt we will need to have this link, and it seems critical its route is protected from intervening development – indeed, any development of this magnitude should require the road to be built before the houses.
As a detail comment, I see it is proposed to have an exit to Oldbury Road. This is already used as a “rat-run” to avoid St Johns centre, and this residential road, with its school and university campus, is obviously unsuited to accommodate the massive increase in traffic that will ensue.
There is also a much wider democratic point here surely? If Malvern Hills District Council approves this application it will have severe implications for the already critical traffic situation in the Dines Green / St Johns areas of Worcester. Are the citizens of Worcester not entitled to have a say over this?
MARTIN HARRIS
St John’s, Worcester

Has Britain become
a soft touch?

SIR – I must congratulate Carole Roberts of Worcester for speaking out (Worcester News, October 21). 
Well done Carole, I’m with you 100 per cent, Primark, CrownGate, foreign sales assistants, Marks and Spencer, the Pound Shop, Broad Street, the Cuban Cafe, corner for Angel Place, the Chinese therapy salon in the Shambles, the jewellery shop opposite the nail bar in Pump Street, not even mentioning today’s taxi services. When I was a taxi driver for 32 years, we had no immigrants whatsoever, now we have no choice.
Come November 11, I will put on my uniform with pride, I don’t really care what people think, I’m proud to have fought for this country, and came out five years later a Lance Corporal, once any foreign person leaves the UK, they shouldn’t be allowed to return, they’ve made their choice to go back home, then stay there, a small place like Britain is undoubtedly a soft touch, immigrants know this and take advantage.
L PRESLEY
Worcester

Is Bishop talking through his tall hat?
SIR – The Bishop of Worcester says that we should take in more refugees. Is he talking through his very tall hat. What do he and other Bishop’s think we will do with them? David Cameron should stick to what he said – 20,000 over the next five years. The steel industry is now about to shut and over 1,000 people will lose their jobs. Why would we want more people having no jobs, more mouths to feed. Just keep them out of our country. There are people here who cannot afford to give their children the basic foods to go to school on.
If the Bishop and churches want to be do-gooders let them help our people first. I am sure when they let refugees in they will have plenty of food, houses and benefits, GP, hospitals. So come on Bishop’s think our own people should come first.
C ROBERTS
Worcester

Beware of parking pitfalls at shops
SIR – Say you visit Homebase in Hylton Road, Worcester and park for, shall we say, 1 1/2 hours. Then you drive to PC World next door and park for, say, 1 1/2 hours. Then park at McDonald’s for a snack or whatever for, say, 1 hour. You think you’ll be all right as you’ve taken less than two hours at each area. You’d be very wrong. You would be fined £180, £90 for each stop! I know this all can be done in one go that’s if you are Usain Bolt, but some people are not as fast as him.
So be careful what you attempt on those three car parks!
JC BUTTERFIELD
Worcester

We can’t all afford to pay Living Wage
SIR – Local MPs are very enthusiastic about cuts to the income of our poorest families saying they will be compensated when the Living Wage is phased in However, they have nothing to say about the many employers who say they will not be able pay the Living Wage without going bankrupt, given our feeble economy which continues to be driven by consumer debt and house prices. 
What are we to make of that?
DEREK FEARNSIDE
Worcester