WITH reference to your report 'Surge in shopping traffic is denied' (September 11), we obviously need some help in interpreting the transport assessment for Coppergate Riverside. On page 48 the transport assessment clearly states: "Using this analysis, a total of 1.5 million person trips/annum to the Riverside development is obtained".

The table on page 49 shows these people generating 618,101 two-way car trips.

Since Coppergate Riverside has not yet been built, it is hard to understand how Land Securities' transport consultants WSP can say the figures referred to journeys that already exist.

There are explanations as to why this traffic generation might not be all 'extra' traffic.

For example, the Riverside traffic may be offset by fewer people visiting the rest of the city centre.

It does appear from the transport assessment, however, that WSP are concerned not so much with overall traffic levels but with peak-hour flows.

Could this be the devil in the detail? Not much increase in peak-hour flows but a large increase in overall traffic.

Off-peak traffic still pollutes.

Angie Towse,

Belle Vue Street,

York.