With reference to Operation Jamboree (Bar on drivers “risking lives”, The Press, December 1), I agree that there is no excuse for drivers going through traffic lights at red and putting themselves and other road users in danger.

While Sergeant Wood was involved in this operation, did he by any chance monitor the length of time that the lights from Micklegate Bar to Blossom Street were at green?

I challenge him to find any other lights in York that have a shorter green phase.

At the most, four vehicles get through, and that is only if the lead motorist is like a Formula 1 driver and is quick off the grid.

This is no way to keep traffic flowing; it builds up in Micklegate, which leads to frustrated drivers and increased pollution.

The report says that in a three-hour period, 15 motorists were caught and punished; no mention is made of any cyclists committing an offence.

While waiting to exit from Queen Street to Blossom Street, I regularly see cyclists coming from Micklegate and either going through on red or cycling on the pavement, crossing Nunnery Lane and going on their way.

Maybe it is easier to catch a motorist than a cyclist, and thereby lies the answer.

A P Cox, Heath Close, Holgate, York.

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: “Any additional time given to the Micklegate Bar leg of the junction would be at the expense of Nunnery Lane, Queen Street or Blossom Street, which form the inner ring road and a main radial route into the city.

“Hence the times for Micklegate are kept at a minimum to benefit the city as a whole.”