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A baby writes in

10:33am Tuesday 16th March 2010 in


MY name is Juniper and I am three months old, I came into a very white world last December.

From what I have seen of my new home city of York from the comfort of my sling and pram, I really like it.

But there are a lot of cars around moving very slowly and spewing out horrible smells.

Mummy tells me this is called ‘traffic’, but I don’t really like it. She also says that according to council predictions, there could well be much more of this so called ‘traffic’, as much as 13 per cent more by 2021.

I will have my 11th birthday in 2021 and don’t very much like the idea of more of this ‘traffic’ business.

I want to grow up without breathing in the nasty fumes, I want to feel safe crossing the road, I want to get the bus into town with my friends without waiting for ages in ‘traffic’, I want to safely cycle with my mummy and daddy… I want the council to give me a choice!

Mummy tells me there is a thing called a ‘consultation’, where we can have our say about traffic growth in York, but she isn’t happy because there is no option to have less traffic, only different options for more traffic.

Please big people of the council, can you give me a choice to have less traffic in York when I grow up?

Thank you!

Baby Juniper Relton, Langholme Drive, York.

Comments(28)

Hel n Highwater says...
11:54am Tue 16 Mar 10

Excellent - this baby is destined for great things!!

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yorknights says...
11:59am Tue 16 Mar 10

Putrid drivel!!

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remarkability says...
12:22pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Something needs to be done about these freak-making stink bombs now.

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Mike Oxuge says...
12:24pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Let me guess, "Juniper's" parents are vegetarian and wear brightly coloured clothes made of hemp? Thought so.

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Jam tomorrow says...
12:26pm Tue 16 Mar 10

The problem is Juniper there are too many people squashed into too little land. It's called overpopulation, bet 'right on' PC mummy never told you that. Ask her what she did about it when you're 11.

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Hel n Highwater says...
12:28pm Tue 16 Mar 10

You're all WRONG WRONG WRONG - Juniper and her family care deeply about the planet - surely they cannot be slated for trying to make a better place for their children to grow up in!

And NO they are NOT vegies etc, so stop stereo-typing you idiots!!

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remarkability says...
12:41pm Tue 16 Mar 10

By calling the child Juniper, they started it... poor kid could have changed the world for the better but now will be bullied along with Frodo and Watermelon.

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remarkability says...
12:47pm Tue 16 Mar 10

On average, how many comments does it take before someone makes it "all about immigration"?

This thread got to 7, is that a record?

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remarkability says...
1:03pm Tue 16 Mar 10

My comments have been edited out. Bet it was Juniper.

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AD71 says...
1:15pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Personally, as a 3 month old, I wouldn't be too bothered about the smells that this traffic is spewing out as slowly the manufacturers are looking into different fuels for the vehicles and I'm optimistic that a lot of drivers will have vehicles with better emissions which will not smell as bad.

If the number of vehicles on the road were to be lowered significantly, especially in town centres, you would find there is a noticable increase in the average speed which would be more dangerous to cyclists and pedestrians.

Buses would still be unreliable, as the traffic doesn't make them late, just the planners who expect too much from them.

My advice, live with it, it'll sort itself out in the end.

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petethefeet says...
1:45pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Is Juniper a boys or girls name?

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Phantom1974 says...
2:15pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Another one to add to the long list of idiotic letters to appear in the Press.

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Mike Oxuge says...
3:22pm Tue 16 Mar 10

petethefeet wrote:
Is Juniper a boys or girls name?
Neither, it's the name of a plant.

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runnermatt says...
3:32pm Tue 16 Mar 10

I do not believe the baby wrote this, not at 3 months old (security words slow-city, must be all that traffic!)

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Silver says...
4:27pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Well Juniper, I'm sorry to say this but your birth has either lead to your mother having her mind reduced to the level of a 4 year old child trying to sound cute. Or she was mentally retarded beforehand and is the equivalent of a 4 year old child. Either way Juniper your mother needs to be told to grow up and to stop putting words in your mouth.

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mack says...
8:08pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Suggest they move to Bishophill, Fishergate or the trendy end of the Groves. They'll fit in well with the rest of the traffic haters and children with silly names who've colonised these areas.

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grelton says...
1:01pm Wed 17 Mar 10

There are obviously some very angry people out there and this letter has clearly hit a nerve or two. Let's get a few things straight, Juniper and her parents are not hemp wearing veggies or traffic haters either or retarded (thanks for that silver). The whole idea of writing from a childs point of view is to highlight the fact that what we do now as adults (and there seems to be a few more children leaving comments than adults) affects our town and our environment in the future. We are not saying no more cars on the roads (we own a car) or that everyone should don their sandals, start cycling and skip hand in hand everywhere with flowers in their hair. What we are saying is, as a city, York cannot cope with the traffic it has now, nevermind an increase by 2021 of 8% - 13%. Do all you car drivers want to have longer queues in traffic? No, I thought not. Do we think leaving it to sort itself out will work, I doubt it. The Council needs to be leading. Measures need to be put in place to keep traffic levels as they are or ideally reduce them. If this means getting more people on there bikes or on public transport then I am all for it. And as for the name Juniper, a unique name, rather than the same old, same old.

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moneyforwhat says...
2:06pm Wed 17 Mar 10

what a load of old tosh. A baby in the UK and the rest of the so-called civilised world creates and has more waste associated with it than is logical. I don't want to talk breast feeding terry nappies and re-cycled melons being the toys you become accustomed to. I hope you help mummy in some very effective way assisting a charity to raise awareness for all the children in the world who would so readily swop places with you.

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mystic_genius says...
4:57pm Wed 17 Mar 10

runnermatt wrote:
I do not believe the baby wrote this, not at 3 months old (security words slow-city, must be all that traffic!)
No flies on you, are there.

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Fleur* says...
7:16pm Wed 17 Mar 10

Gosh, we are a cynical bunch! I seriously respect Juniper's parents for trying this approach - goodness knows, no-one seems to listen to 'adults' these days. (Mind you, reading some of the responses on here have perhaps shown me why!)

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Jam tomorrow says...
12:43am Thu 18 Mar 10

"Juniper's parents"

What makes you believe that 'Juniper' has two parents?
Inside knowledge or are you one of them?

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sidjames says...
3:59pm Thu 18 Mar 10

This is hilarious. The responses by the Juniper brigade is just further evidence of their complete and utter lack of humour. It's the diet that does it I reckon; bit of roast beef and side order of belly pork will release all that uptightness.

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Kiff says...
4:26pm Thu 18 Mar 10

Jam tomorrow wrote:
"Juniper's parents"

What makes you believe that 'Juniper' has two parents?
Inside knowledge or are you one of them?
Er, I think a basic knowledge of biology answers that one. Did you miss that science lesson (or similar one in the playground?)

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moneyforwhat says...
10:06pm Fri 19 Mar 10

As I watch Sport Relief and see what £5 can do - that's buy a mosquito net - I thank the Lord that I live in a country where people are able to give. At this juncture in our world's life it may be misguided that this may be funded by something obscene. People will rebel against fossil fuels and preach the Green life, but rebel you may - it is a priviledge. It's Catch 22 and a shed load more epithets - think further afield. You are priviledged.

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Jam tomorrow says...
11:02pm Fri 19 Mar 10

moneyforwhat wrote:
As I watch Sport Relief and see what £5 can do - that's buy a mosquito net - I thank the Lord that I live in a country where people are able to give. At this juncture in our world's life it may be misguided that this may be funded by something obscene. People will rebel against fossil fuels and preach the Green life, but rebel you may - it is a priviledge. It's Catch 22 and a shed load more epithets - think further afield. You are priviledged.
Most TV charity broadcasting is part of a big business. I do give locally and where I'm sure I know what it is spent on.

"Give us your Geld & orf with you" is what I hear on TV.

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moneyforwhat says...
12:50pm Sat 20 Mar 10

Jam tomorrow wrote:
moneyforwhat wrote: As I watch Sport Relief and see what £5 can do - that's buy a mosquito net - I thank the Lord that I live in a country where people are able to give. At this juncture in our world's life it may be misguided that this may be funded by something obscene. People will rebel against fossil fuels and preach the Green life, but rebel you may - it is a priviledge. It's Catch 22 and a shed load more epithets - think further afield. You are priviledged.
Most TV charity broadcasting is part of a big business. I do give locally and where I'm sure I know what it is spent on. "Give us your Geld & orf with you" is what I hear on TV.
How cynical of you, that is what you may hear - do you not see the horror that children all over the world live in. A sad reflection of an imbalanced world which may alter but only if people continue to highlight this. I guess the majority of charity could be down to business such as shops which operate to provide funds for individuals or organisations to be a propoganda machine, a voice to be heard in parliament. My point was as written 'look what £5 can do' and I do thank the Lord that I live in a country where I am able to give. Such a difficult choice - live here and moan about cars. Live there....live???? How and where I give is my option and also your perogative. Extend your thoughts the world is not simply your locale, acid rain doesn't affect only the area it emanates from.

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nowthen says...
10:00pm Sun 21 Mar 10

Talk about Chinese whispers ! This post has got really out of hand. It's funny like ;send reinforcements we're going to advance to send 3 and fourpence we're going to a dance!Anyway what
about congestion charging ? Stalinist labour councillor merrett need not reply !

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mary poppins21 says...
10:27pm Sun 21 Mar 10

OMG you do make me laugh. Juniper's parents if you have time to write such rubbish with a 3 month old you must have not done your housework. Oh and by the way not ALL people in fishergate are full of lentils and wear flip flops .

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