IS there no end to the stupidity of the road plans for Darwen? Not content with having reduced two lanes of traffic into one, they now are installing a pedestrian crossing less than 100 yards from a double set of traffic lights which already allow pedestrians a considerable time to cross.

I have already been caught out once by the lights at the junction with the access to the motorway going towards Darwen.

Although I went through on green, there was a hold-up on the main road, which resulted in me still being stationary within the junction when the lights changed in favour of motorway traffic.

A van driver who was unable to proceed was less than polite and obviously presumed that I had gone through on amber or red!

There is now a roundabout at Birchall - so I think we must all be prepared for traffic to be at a complete standstill on more than one occasion.

Would it not have made more sense to get the problems at the motorway junction sorted out before adding to the congestion?

Has anyone taken into account the delays to emergency services which are bound to happen due to road-width restrictions, humps and roundabouts?

What happens to the heart attack victim when the ambulance is delayed by four minutes because of the traffic-calming measures in the Sudell area or to a person trapped in a fire?

Obviously, the same planners are responsible for the zebra crossing outside Hanburys. Why was it not possible to put in a pelican crossing which would have been a more sensible solution?

EILEEN M EASTHAM, Milton Close, Darwen.

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