WHAT a difference a few months in opposition have made to the views of Labour councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing who said in response to suggestions of widening the A1237 "car park", "the Lib-Dem council should look further than digging up green fields" (October 14).

It is precisely because of the former Labour council's over-development schemes on the green fields surrounding the outer ring road that the A1237 is so overloaded - a problem so obvious it defies comment.

The whole crux of congestion problems in York is over-development. A similar, although smaller scale, highway "car park" would be created on the roads surrounding the unpopular New Osbaldwick development if planning permission were granted.

Frankly, Mrs Simpson-Laing, after seeing the results of successive Labour councils, whose contributions to town and country planning were on a par with those of General Custer to military planning, your sniping from the sidelines at the new council's suggestions for relieving a problem of your group's making is disingenuous and pathetic.

M Warters,

Yew Tree Mews,

Osbaldwick Village, York.

Updated: 12:31 Tuesday, October 28, 2003