What an excellent idea by the Straylands bollard protesters to save council money ('Why do we need one of these?', February 15). Instead of installing a rising bollard why not use our own human bollards... yes that's right, I did say bollards.

But seriously, I look at the photo and don't see one person who is directly affected by the higher levels of traffic Straylands Grove and Woodlands Grove residents have endured since the opening of the Monks Cross development.

The same comment can be made against all the writers of the protest letters received so far by the Evening Press.

They either live in streets on the Straylands 'estate' which are off the main Straylands/Woodlands thoroughfare or are the rat-runners we are trying to encourage to find an alternative route.

Mr Pennock is a prime example. In his letter he states he uses our road as a rat-run on average 15 times a week. Multiply this by the thousands of others using it and you can see the scale of the problem.

We increasingly find more traffic queueing the full length of Woodlands Grove and, as Mr Evely predicts, things will only get worse. As for the so-called representational survey, I suspect it was taken at a time when the "antis" knew they would get the result they wanted.

I wish to point out to Mrs. Frost, who "doesn't want to live in a virtual cul-de-sac", that Elm Park Way where you live is a real cul-de-sac. Finally, I urge all those in favour of the rising bollard to make their opinion known by writing to Rod Jones, City Development and Transport Department, 9 St. Leonard's Place, York, YO1 7ET.

Neil Flanagan,

Woodlands Grove, York.

Updated: 09:16 Friday, February 25, 2005