FOR the last few days I've driven through Lancaster during the early morning rush hour to find the traffic free flowing and relatively uncongested.

In fact, I would go as far as to suggest that there has not been a significant traffic problem.

The reason? School children are now on their summer holidays and are not being driven to school by concerned parents worried about the busy traffic.

This can be the only explanation for the drop in the levels of traffic in the district and begs the question - why do we need to spend £90 million on a bypass when simply getting kids to walk or cycle to school could make a very real difference?

Could some incentive be offered to children who travel to school by foot, bicycle or public transport? If people do need to drop their children off by car, what about car sharing or picking up neighbouring children? Or what about staggering school starting times to ease the traffic flow?

The County Council has spent tens of thousands of our money in its futile attempt to get a huge, multi-laned bypass ploughing through the local countryside. There's no chance of a bypass being built and it's time to be bold and more imaginative. Children have made their own way to school for decades and, if there are any safety fears, perhaps the council could invest in a few more lollipop men and women. It's surely worth considering.

Miss Crossman,

Skerton,

Lancaster.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.