AS a retailer on the High Street of St Neots, I thoroughly endorse the views of our mayor in that the shambles of traffic management and total waste of money spent by the council on supposed improvements is very real, and the prospect of having to spend a

AS a retailer on the High Street of St Neots, I thoroughly endorse the views of our mayor in that the shambles of traffic management and total waste of money spent by the council on supposed improvements is very real, and the prospect of having to spend another three years of hell while the council comes to the same conclusion does not bear thinking about.

Quite simply, do away with the traffic lights at New Street/High Street (already established as the most polluted place on earth) making traffic from the Market Square go around the back of the town and New Street one way only from the High Street. This will keep traffic flowing if the pedestrian lights are linked together.

Prohibit vehicles over a certain size and, in addition, let's have some real speed bumps not the ridiculous pimples which were put in and enforce the 20 mph limit, not the current 30 to 90 mph limit.

Finally, it would be wonderful if the police training vehicles that practise high speed driver training, sirens and all, through the town, making it on some days worse than New York, could go and pick on someone else. We have served our term.

RICHARD FISHER, Photocare, High Street, St Neots

* I BELIEVE there to be inaccuracies in the article regarding traffic in St Neots (June 27).

Firstly I find it a joke that the Loves Farm development is being blamed for causing traffic delays in the town. Anyone driving into town from that direction encounters very few problems until near the new Cross set-up. At this point lights seem to favour Huntingdon Street and Church Street traffic, whereas before they favoured the major road, Cambridge Street/High Street.

Coming from the other direction, congestion disappears as soon as you reach the Cross, so maybe a re-phasing of the lights would help.

As regards the mayor's comments of sitting in a queue on the river bridge for 40 minutes, I am a learner driver and have come over the bridge many, many times and five minutes is the maximum hold-up I have had, so I wonder if the mayor finds the 40 minutes a norm. Or was it a one off?

I know traffic flow in the town centre is not the best and I have mapped out plans that might help if he is interested in seeing them.

DEREK VIVASH, Duck Lane, Eynesbury

* THE traffic in the town centre has become a nightmare.

I believe this is because there are so many sets of traffic lights, including pelican crossings though, of course, I appreciate that these are necessary.

I firmly believe that the problems really began when the road next to the Bridge House Hotel was closed from the High Street. I thought at the time that it was a huge mistake.

If the road were re-opened one-way from the bridge, vehicles heading for the library, Waitrose and the backs of other shops would ease congestion. And the A1 via Little Paxton could also be accessed more easily.

Pedestrians would have to get used to this but, as there is already a crossing, it should not pose too much of a problem.

JANET REED, Earl Close, Eaton Socon

* I USED to live in Eaton Ford until three years ago, and now live in Eynesbury, so I have experienced the long delays from both ends of town.

I could not understand why the road that is next to the bridge and turns left as you come into town from Eaton Ford was ever closed. Surely, it would be advantageous to re-open it, one way only, so that traffic going to the Waitrose or Priory car parks would not have to go all the way through town.

BARBARA SCOTT, Lansbury Close, Eynesbury

* SURELY the answer is to use the bypass and ban all lorries that take a short cut through the town to Cambridge and yobs with loud music. The bypass is often empty apart from the odd motorist.

St Neots would be a nice town without the traffic.

M R STEPHENS, Huntingdon Street, St Neots