From Alexandra Wright.
I DISAGREE with Madeline Bates (JEP, 24 June) saying that a referendum over the time change would be pointless. I see it being a step in the right direction.
We are not usually asked for our opinion, simply steamrollered, but as a keen supporter of keeping the clocks at permanent British Summer Time – meaning no change at all during the year – I would be most interested to see the outcome of a referendum. I think that if we can get this right, there would be a lot of support.
There is currently much confusion surrounding the issue, to which I feel there is a very straightforward and logical solution that could benefit the majority of us, which is to keep BST. This would mean that we would be out of step with the UK for about five months of the year by being one hour ahead. In my opinion this would maximise the amount of daylight available to us by placing it more centrally in the day.
How many of us relish putting our clocks back in October? Does it not seem pointless and disruptive? Those like myself with young children really struggle for a few days to adjust, and on top of it, the parks have to close very early in the winter, making outside activities impossible.
I agree that we cannot create more daylight, but we can maximise what we have, and darkness as early as
4 pm in the depths of winter could be a thing of the past.
Keeping BST all year round would mean that the parks could close at 5 pm rather that 4 pm. Who goes to the park at sunrise? My point is that the drawing in of the day forces most of us inside prematurely (we are mostly in at daybreak, which is not good use of daylight).
I know there are issues to be overcome, the greatest in my opinion being TV being out of sync with UK TV, but I feel the benefits could vastly outweigh the negatives, from pensioners not being threatened inside early by darkness at 4 pm to mothers and children being able to utilise more time outside.
There is also a powerful environmental argument that we use much more electricity towards the end of the day than at daybreak, when a lot of us are more inactive.
I hope the referendum will happen, perhaps subject to a one-year trial. But first and foremost the States have to clarify the options on the table.
33 Roseville Street,
St Helier.
