This is what you have been writing to us about this week.
To send your own letter, email bfpletters@london.newsquest.co.uk.
Please note, any paper letters sent to the Bucks Free Press office are only being picked up periodically as all staff are still working from home for the foreseeable future.
'Selfish and illegal parking in town'
For years, selfish people have been parking on double yellow lines (and often on the pavement) in the High Road (continuation of Lower Road), Chalfont St Peter and also on the High Road in Chalfont St Giles.
This makes it difficult for other car drivers and dangerous for pedestrians.
I finally tried to do something about it last week and took the attached photo in Chalfont St Peter.
I found out from Bucks Council where to send them - (Offstreet Parking) and also sent copies to my local councillors.
I had a quick response from the Parking team and the councillors.
“Enforcers” were sent down the next day and three vehicles were made to move. I have been assured that they will continue to monitor that area.
I know it will be argued that by doing this, small shops on roads with double yellow lines will lose business.
However, there are large car parks in both villages and drivers must respect the law.
(There is an exemption for disabled drivers with a disabled parking permit).
Name withheld, Chalfont St Peter
Would Town Council stop smoke getting in your eyes?
During the lovely weather we have managed to enjoy walks into Kingwood and take in the fantastic landscape views towards the Flackwell Heath hills on the opposite side of the Rye Valley.
It was disappointing to witness a cloud of smoke (presumably from garden bonfires) slowly drifting down the Wye valley from Wycombe through the Marsh area and through Loudwater.
It is a pity that we need to live either on top of the valley hills or upwind in order to enjoy fresh air during these summer days.
Would a Wycombe Town Council have the ability or influence the prohibition of garden bonfires to protect both the quality of life and the health of the downwind residents living in the Wycombe valley areas?
D. Berry, Wycombe Labour for a Green New Deal (WLGND), Penn
Send letters to Matt Hancock
I fully endorse the discharge waiting times at hospitals as per your High Wycombe reader (Bucks Free Press letters page, August 21 ‘Time to fix NHS delay?’).
Several people I know have experienced the same. Being discharged early in the morning and still waiting until late afternoon to go home.
Could I suggest your reader and all others who have experienced the same send their letter direct to Matt Hancock.
It can’t be rocket science to alter this ridiculous situation. It has been going on a long time. Good luck!
June Highgate, Little Marlow
Periodic driving tests are needed
How dismayed I was to read the report in BFP on August 21 regarding the sentencing of William Sheriff for causing death by careless driving of his friend Luca Skivington.
It made very sad reading to learn that he had only passed his driving test three days before crashing the car that his parents had purchased for him in what the judge called "the crassest decision that any of us will ever witness" - that I'm afraid was putting it mildly!
The basic driving test is just that, to show an examiner that you can control the vehicle by using all the controls at a speed within the limits. This is just the start of a very long journey but sadly our laws let drivers continue it without any further training whatsoever, there are organisations out there to train drivers of all ages such as IAM Road Smart (aka Institute of Advanced Motorists).
Many people will undertake training on using computers and many other everyday tasks without batting an eyelid and yet mention a driving training course and the majority would state that they are good enough as they have passed their test! Not so.
It's about time that periodic driving tests became compulsory for every driver and the laws regarding new young drivers should take an example from Australia.
How can a commonwealth country that even drive on the same side of the road have much better ideas regarding young drivers?
We have to protect our youngsters from themselves, obviously we can't rely on parents doing it.
I think the lenient sentence given in this case will only serve to send out the wrong message to these youngsters who insist on driving high powered vehicles that take skill and judgement to drive that they clearly don't possess.
William Sheriff’s terrible driving has resulted in the death of two of his friends, this has happened many, many times in our own local area yet alone nationwide and the government needs to take drastic action by adopting the same action as the Australian government.
Roy Craig, Hazlemere
Teachers unfairly put in invidious position
Given we've recently been informed that especially secondary age pupils transmit Covid-19 like adults - hardly surprising when you're regarded as adult enough to marry at 16 - can someone explain why the same wouldn't happen as in the sandwich factory in a far more enclosed classroom – especially given youngsters gathering together on breezy beaches were blamed for spreading Covid-19?
It’s been said that because opening schools will cause the R-number to increase by 0.5 that the Government wants to close pubs etc to offset the school-youngsters return to school increase.
This is manipulating the figures if you ask me, but of more significance is that it implies that there will be infections in schools and so given only a few infected pupils will close schools, I fail to see the point of trying to return too soon.
This strikes me as being a direct parallel to someone who gets a seven–day course of antibiotics from their GP; wrongly stops taking them half way through the course to minimise pharma intake, only for the problem to re-occur this time requiring a 14 day course to zap it.
Why is it apparently OK for teachers to stand in front of a class of unmasked teenagers, but not go to the shops or see their wider family without restriction?
You will recall that when Spain reached 900 new cases/day - which given their population is about ¾ of the UK thus would equate to 1,200 UK daily cases – the UK Govt introduced a blanket quarantine for returning travellers – even from the Balearic Islands where the numbers were much lower.
The BBC news has just reported that yesterday, the UK had 1,182 new cases. How come 24 cases a day required lockdown yet with 500 x that it’s apparently safe for schools to re-open?
One headmaster when asked to reconcile these inconsistencies said he is doing the Government's bidding.
This surely is putting teachers in the invidious position of doing what they know to be wrong and not in their pupil's best interest, never mind their own.
Once upon a time this would have resulted in resignations, but we seem to have lost the resign on principle when professional integrity is being so directly challenged.
If it really is safe for youngsters to return to school in September, and Covid-19 won't spread like wildfire among Uni students when they subsequently return as it has in the USA, then why are we being asked to mask up with the risk of £100 fine - or up to £3,200 for repeatedly refusing to wear a mask?
Only today there's yet another article saying that singing and shouting increase the spread of Covid-19 - by at least 4m - so any addressing of a whole class by a teacher or pupils answering will very efficiently cover each other with any infected droplets of air.
Distance learning especially for secondary age pupils works very well, so why not stick to it. Likewise I have found giving Skype piano lessons to work very well.
David Meacock, Chalfont St Peter
