FOLLOWING a further report (LET, May 5) regarding Blackburn Road, Great Harwood, I feel I must inject some balance into the story that has unfolded across your pages over the last few weeks.

A bizarre traffic-calming scheme for Lee Lane, Rishton, was put forward for consultation in mid-January - the end aim to be a reduction in the speed limit to 40mph. Unfortunately, the standard procedure of creating a need for these measures - residents' complaints - could not be elicited from the sheep in the adjoining fields.

Some time after this, Keith Edmundson and Paul Dunn started receiving publicity about their campaign and petition.

Mr Dunn is a leading light of Prospects, an organisation which I applaud in its efforts to improve the lot of local people and their environment. But I also recall that it is in part-funded by and is a pet project of Hyndburn Council.

Thus, we have you reporting council leader George Slynn's effusive gratitude for a 160-signature petition to give him a mandate for more flawed traffic-calming - all good stuff days before the local elections.

Everything is not what it seems though. Through another pair of eyes, the campaigners' worries can be laid firmly at the feet to the man accepting their petition. It should be noted that Blackburn Road has had the benefit of traffic-calming for the past couple of years or so. As I told Councillor Slynn at the time of its inception, and in print later, the design of this scheme was dangerous and was likely to lead to the demolition of the bus shelter and minor accidents at other points.

The width restrictions imposed by the planners, on a road which reduces from four car widths to three, coupled with a few of the residents insisting on double parking, must mean at the very least damaged wing mirrors. It should be noted that the parking restrictions on this road have not been revoked, but just, for some reason, not enforced. I bet George didn't tell the campaigners that just before the local elections!

I would be interested to see the campaigners' survey figures to back up the claims of increased HGV use and 80 mph cars. My observations suggest that since the completion of the M65 and the end of the motorway construction traffic from Clitheroe, HGV usage has dropped dramatically.

Might I suggest the planners and their masters rethink and correct their earlier schemes before rushing off to spend more of our money, on new flights of fancy.

J P DUCKWORTH, Bostons, Great Harwood.

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