I would like to add my experience to the growing number of objectors to the current traffic flow at the Norton railway crossing junction.

At a particularly busy period I approached through Norton and being the lead car at the junction awaited until a suitable opportunity to join the traffic flow over County Bridge.

Now this in itself requires total concentration without throwing the level crossing into the mix and assuming the car approaching from Welham Road was letting me out, as a car from the right was indicating to turn into Norton I proceeded only to hear the crossing bells sounding as I exited the crossing.

At no time did I see the warning lights flashing, whether the result of total concentration on the traffic situation or out of eyeline, but clearly a situation that needs addressing before the inevitable major accident occurs.

I suggest the people responsible stop playing on computer-based simulators and get in a car and drive through the junction, especially from Norton.

John R Crossland, Carr Lane, East Heslerton, Malton

Cleaner gas

In response to J Baxter (Letters, November 20), it is true that geothermal plants use hydraulic fracturing to split rocks.

However, that is where the similarity to fracking for natural gas ends.

In natural gas fracking, the process injects water and a proppant (a mix of sand and multiple chemicals), at a very high pressure of around 9,000 psi or more, which breaks though solid rock and holds the cracks open.

Geothermal processes use water at around 1,000 to 2,000 psi to shear the rock along natural fractures or weaknesses that were plugged by mineral deposits over time.

Most geothermal plants are closed-loop water systems in which water is recirculated back into the geothermal reservoir after it has been used for heat or electricity production, whereas gas fracking produces wastewater containing large amount of salts, toxic metals and radioactivity that requires disposal and is often transported long distances.

Unlike oil and gas fracking, there have been no reported cases of water contamination from geothermal sites in the USA.

Also, closed systems release minimal gas emissions.

According to the 2011 IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources, geothermal energy systems have an emission of 0.2 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour whereas natural gas-generated electricity is between 0.6 and two pounds and coal-generated is between 1.4 and 3.6 pounds.

Given Yorkshire is one of the best places in the country for geothermal energy generation, we should be promoting this technology which would provide jobs as well as a cleaner and safer energy source than fracking for oil and gas.

Jean McKendree, Westow

Footpath woes

The footpath network between St Mary’s church Old Malton and the Orchard Fields is an utter and complete shambles.

In April 2017 when the Malton and Norton partnership issued a questionnaire, I had high hopes of some massive improvements.

How wrong could I have been.

From budget funds of £93,000, all there is to see is a wheelchair-friendly board walk through Lady Spring Wood, which incidentally has no wheelchair access to Lady Spring Wood from Orchard Fields.

Also funded by this, the new replacement bridge over the cut, constructed in June 2018 has just collapsed due to very poor construction.

There is still a distinct lack of public and permissive footpath signage and also a lack of dog waste disposal facilities.

Maybe the partnership would like to issue a balance sheet as to

where and how the money has been spent.

Mike Kitching, Old Malton