MY husband and I took our two grandsons to see York's new Millennium Bridge. It is truly spectacular and an architectural triumph, situated as it is in such spacious surroundings.

However, it is also a gift for skateboarders, roller-bladers, scooters and anything else that has wheels. Cyclists and pedestrians, for whom the bridge was built, leap for their lives as the army of wheeled vehicles attack from all sides.

On objecting to this I was given a mouthful of verbal abuse by youths who presumably had nothing better to do in the school holidays than make a nuisance of themselves.

On seeing one boy attempt to climb the rounded section of the bridge I asked my husband: "How long will it be before there is a serious accident here either with someone falling into the river or on to the banks?"

Has City of York Council taken out a disclaimer should such an accident occur or do we all wait for the council to be sued before this happens, thus closing the stable door too late once again?

So I was not surprised to see a report in the Evening Press (April 19) with photograph of boys dicing with danger on the bridge.

It would be a shame to wrap the bridge in barbed wire so there is no real answer to the problem. It's really up to the parents of the boys and girls concerned.

Sadie Ashton,

Escrick, York.

...I WAS disturbed to read your article 'Youths dice with death under York's new bridge', I found the tone, the logic and the content astonishing.

On the several visits I have made to the Millennium Bridge I have been struck by the good-natured and relaxed atmosphere of all the people present, including youngsters.

I have been impressed and amused by the bold and creative ways they have explored what the new facilities offer them and what it offers their skateboards, roller-blades and bicycles.

Given the very different needs of the groups using the area I have been struck by how tolerant and considerate people have been to each other.

However, I do think it would have been better if more of the design had borne in mind the needs of young people - allocating far less than one per cent of the total budget to a skateboard area, for example, would have designed-out the potential clash of interests of different users of the area. If there is a problem in this respect I think it is one of design.

The article goes on to say that young people are using the structure of the bridge unsafely. Instead of questioning how a £4.2 million structure has not been designed to be safe for all users you blame the young people for "turning the bridge into a potentially dangerous playground." This is an amazing turn- around - rather like blaming a two-year-old for falling down the stairs unprotected by a stair-gate. If there is a problem we have a duty of care to address it.

You go on to describe young people as 'foul-mouthed yobs'. This is cheap journalism, your paper deserves better.

The whole tone of the report is quite hysterical and certainly attacking and blaming young people. While this is widespread in our country at present, I think you do us all a disservice by joining in.

Adam Myers,

Alma Terrace, York.

Updated: 10:41 Thursday, April 26, 2001