HAVING read the piece by Joe Willis and your editorial about the threat to DalesBus, the answer to your question “Do we need buses?” is that North Yorkshire County Council obviously thinks we don’t.

There will be no 155 bus service between Gayle and Northallerton on Saturdays as the vital link from Leyburn to Bedale is being withdrawn.

Because the last bus back to Leyburn on Monday to Friday will leave Bedale at 14.11, it will not serve those who want to visit patients in the Friarage and it will also make life difficult for people who have appointments at the hospital as there will be a very small window in which to be seen either by a consultant or at the outpatients’ department.

The 159 Richmond to Ripon times have all been altered but, despite a more frequent return service between Leyburn and Richmond, people in Middleham are still left out on a limb with very poor connections.

The Gayle to Northallerton Sunday service should not be dependent on donations from local councils and businesses as it could prove a more important link, given that without it there would be no service at all from one end of the dale to the other during the weekend.

Rural isolation seems an inevitable consequence of these service cuts when there are so many elderly people who do not drive living in the Dales. We not only need joined up thinking as you suggest, but a Government and local councils who see communication by public transport in North Yorkshire as vital for both people and businesses.

What is our new MP prepared to do about this woeful state of affairs?

Sheila Simms, Leyburn

YOUR editorial (D&S Times, Jan 15) asks “do we need buses?”. Yes, of course we do, and, as you go on to say, we also need a proper rural transport policy.

Richmond Constituency Green Party proposes to establish a Local Transport Forum for Richmond.

This would bring together people who want to find solutions to a range of problems, including traffic congestion, enforcing speed limits, encouraging walking and cycling, safety for pedestrians and cyclists, defending public transport, transport for school students, toxic and greenhouse-gas emissions, especially from diesel engines.

We seek solutions that will benefit everyone’s health, and also benefit the local economy in terms of business and tourism. We believe that both the problem and solutions go beyond party politics, so we invite anybody who is interested in these issues to contribute. This might include local business people, schools, councillors and council staff in all tiers of government (and anywhere on the political spectrum) and health professionals – and anyone who walks, cycles, drives, or uses a bus. Once we have gauged the level of interest, and gathered ideas, we will decide how to take them forward.

Although our thinking focuses on Richmond at present, we hope that the ideas we generate will be applicable for other towns in Richmondshire and Hambleton.

Readers who are interested in these issues will be welcome at the next meeting of the Green Party: 7.30pm, February 3, at The Buck, Newbiggin, Richmond. They can also post their thoughts on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ rcgreensyorks

Dave Dalton, Co-ordinator, Richmond Constituency Green Party, Richmond