News that NHS Tayside plans to collaborate with Dundee City Council to address the issue is most welcome.

Yet it is only a matter of weeks ago Councillor Fiona Grant said that measures to control traffic volume in Dundee were not necessary.

I disagree. The council needs to act now before the problem gets completely out of control.

Traffic congestion in Dundee is not restricted to the Menzieshill area. There are regular build-ups on the Arbroath and Forfar Roads, Kingsway and Riverside.

Fife commuters waiting for access to the Tay Road Bridge bring the city centre to a halt every tea time.

The council’s own figures say over 40,000 regularly travel into Dundee for work each day.

Fortunately, the city is adequately served by parking spaces in the centre.

Where it falls down is not providing measures to encourage people to leave their cars at home.

Clean, regular bus services and park and ride facilities are needed.

Smaller towns like St Andrews and Perth have had the vision to introduce this. Dundee should follow suit. — Menzieshill Reader.

Having two part-time jobs, plus family commitments, I use the buses every day, usually the Douglas and Fintry services and occasionally the circular buses.

At one time I could plan my journeys reasonably well within the timetables issued, but in the last few months it has been mostly hit or miss whether a bus comes on time or not. More often than not in the peak periods you can wait up to 25 minutes (as I have done at Arbroath Road) and have three buses come along together.

On one Friday afternoon at five o’clock, a colleague and I were amazed to be standing at the bus stop in Balunie Avenue and see five Douglas buses, one behind each other, heading for the terminus.

This is annoying, especially when I have to go into work and apologise once again for being late and always with the same excuse about buses.

I have a monthly direct debit pass, but there have been many occasions recently when I feel like cancelling it and using Strathtay buses instead. They always seem to be on time.

If I only had the time, I would quite happily walk everywhere. The Scottish Executive is always trying to encourage people to ditch their cars and use public transport, but with a service like we have at present I don’t blame car owners for ignoring this advice. — Anon Again.

Non-musical phantoms, however, “haunt” my memory. For example, it is widely acknowledged that Lon Chaney Snr’s classic silent-movie portrayal is the definitive version from the 20s. The make-up set a precedent.

But I do not feel the 1962 version starring Herbert Lom has attained full recognition, since it is a particularly faithful, accurate and “haunting” work.

Herbert went on to be TVs psychiatrist in the series The Human Jungle in the late 60s (Dr Corder).

In the 60s version of Phantom, do you remember who played the plagiarist who stole the phantom’s beautiful, sensitive music?

It was Michael Gough (later to be Batman’s butler). Gough exuded impeccable villainy opposite Lom’s saintliness. — J. I. Matthew.

Local people fear the facility could exacerbate the problems of gangs, drugs and alcohol

Mr Marshall stated his company had been running a skate park for six years and had never had any problems with kids hanging around and never had a drugs problem.

The original skate park was not in a residential area, while this one is in a residential area that includes a sheltered housing complex. — Concerned Resident.