THANK you for printing my letters regarding traffic calming. This will be my last on the matter.

Hyndburn's decision to calm Lee Lane between Harwood and Rishton at a cost of £78,000 is a shameful waste of public funds when hospitals, schools, new business initiatives and housing grants are crying out for funding.

I fully support the need to do everything possible to control speeds. I do not believe, however, that placing obstacles in the road is the solution. On the contrary, it creates its own dangers.

Road safety is a partnership between the driver and the pedestrian.

Sadly, not one minute of TV time is given to continuing driver education through road safety adverts. Similarly, we have stopped teaching the green cross code to our children in schools. It is driver judgement that kills, not speed alone. Perspective must be added to raw statistics. Presumably, Lee Lane will be calmed because of a fatality within the last 12 months. That singular, uncharacteristic accident does not justify the spending of £78,000 to inconvenience the rest of us.

Last year over 45 people were killed in police chases alone. Many of the remaining deaths resulted from car theft, joy riding, drink and drugs so speed alone was not the cause.

But what about pedestrian responsibility? How many pedestrians died through their own fault, jay walking, failing to observe the green cross code, playing chicken, or under the influence of drink or drugs?

Analysis of what causes accidents provides the solution; that is not the same as traffic calming. Have you taught your child the green cross code and basic road safety?

Do you always drive within the stated limits? Road safety starts with people being honest with themselves.

I believe our council have lacked real thought and imagination in choosing to address only a very small part of the whole road safety problem.

We deserve better, more constructive solutions.

I believe they have squandered as much as a million pounds which could have been better spent on other more necessary projects, including greater road safety awareness in our borough.

P CONGDON (Mr), Hindle Fold Lane, Great Harwood.

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