Letters, contributions and comments sent in to the Advertiser this week.

Traffic changes will be a benefit

Christophe Wittouck, Bow resident and campaigner with Better Streets for Tower Hamlets, writes:

Imran Khan is right to point out that the proposed bus gate in Victoria Park will change motor traffic in the area (letter, East London Advertiser). But the changes will benefit us. The scheme aims to reduce the number of vehicles cutting through the area, encouraging them to stay on the major roads where they belong.

Doing nothing is not an option. Tower Hamlets has very high levels of air pollution, inactivity-related ill health and injuries and deaths from road collisions. Children's lungs in the most polluted parts of Tower Hamlets are 10 per cent smaller than expected for their age.

Removing a route through the middle of Victoria Park will mean more people in the area will be able to walk and cycle safely in cleaner air. This is a route with huge cycling potential, but it must be direct, intuitive and useful, not a wiggly route through the park. If the proposed bus gate does not do enough or leaves rat runs open, the answer is to do more, not less.

Bus gates work. They make areas better, and one in Victoria Park makes really good sense for residents. If we want a less polluted, less car-dominated, healthier and more liveable Tower Hamlets, we need this scheme and more.

Volunteer and care for cats

Julie Meredith, head of volunteering development, Cats Protection, writes:

This Volunteers Week (June 1-7), I would like to take the opportunity to thank our fantastic volunteers who give so much of their time, skill and dedication for the benefit of cats in our care.

At Cats Protection we were grateful to involve over 11,200 volunteers during 2018.

Volunteers are truly the foundation and life-blood of the charity. Whether volunteering in our shops or populating our social media channels; researching advocacy campaigns or fostering kittens, they ensure that every day we move closer to our vision of a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs.

We would love to hear from cat lovers who would like to help cats locally.

- Visit cats.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering to find out more.