SEVENTEEN years ago my first wife was killed in a road traffic accident when she attempted to drive across an A64 gap a couple of miles from Bilbrough. This gap and some others have since been closed. However traffic on the A64 has increased considerably since then and it is no surprise that there have been recent fatalities at Bilbrough.

I understand that a fatal road traffic accident costs the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds. This is small change compared to the devastation caused to friends and family by the loss of their loved ones.

It is to the eternal credit of the Evening Press that you have taken up the campaign to close these lethal gaps once and for all. They should have been closed years ago.

My plea to roads minister Mr Jamieson is spend the money and close Bilbrough gap. In addition to the long term savings you will be saving the devastated lives and heartache of hundreds of people.

Robert Briggs,

Cherrywood Crescent,

Fulford,

York.

...I WORK in Leeds and regularly travel on the A64 to see my fiance in York and have been amazed at the number of near misses I have seen over the past year.

I am always conscious of the gap at Bilbrough Top and slow down as you never know what's going to happen.

Local people are more likely to be aware of the dangers and slow down too, but what about the huge number of visitors who are driving along at 70mph and are suddenly faced with a caravan swerving across the A64 from McDonald's?

I think it's ridiculous that there is a gap there in the first place but what's even crazier is that there isn't even an enforced reduction in speed.

Although I'm not an advocate of speed cameras surely this site would be a prefect place for having them to enforce people to be more careful.

This gap needs to be closed before any more fatal accidents occur.

Jo Walker,

Resourcing Solutions,

Parity,

Halsbury House,

Chancellor Court, The Calls,

Leeds.

...AS a regular commuter on the A64, I have also witnessed similar incidents to those seen by Dawn Wilkinson at the Bilbrough Top crossing ("Madness on the A64", September 9).

I would like the answers to two questions.

How was it possible for the turn to Bilbrough on the east bound carriageway to be closed within days of a "rat run" developing through the village during major road works on the A64? To the best of my knowledge, nobody was killed or injured by traffic passing through the village, unlike some users of the Bilbrough Top crossing.

At some point during further roadworks, the Bilbrough Top crossing was closed.

The mechanisms obviously exist to implement closures. Why can't the crossing be closed again, until a solution is found?

Paul Wilmott,

Springwood,

Haxby,

York.

...MY husband and I regularly use the A64 and are astonished to see the junction still in use.

Many motorists seem oblivious to the dangers they are creating for other road users by trying to negotiate this dangerous crossing.

Lately, we have witnessed motorists exiting the services on the westbound side cutting straight across the gap into the opposite junction, turning round and re-joining the eastbound carriageway!

We would like to express our support to close the gaps and create a safer environment for all road users.

Mr & Mrs Kocinski,

Manor Park Grove,

Rawcliffe,

York.

Updated: 11:24 Monday, September 15, 2003