It is interesting to see Coun Aspden again challenging his party's administration over failing to improve road crossings in Fulford Main Street (City residents seek refuge, July 29).

Calls by Fulford residents for traffic islands and improved road crossings were heightened when the local bus service was replaced by the Red Line/designer outlet service, which caused Fordlands Road residents to face a long walk to Main Street to catch these buses.

However, your recent publicity about Local Transport Plan 2 included comment about would-be passengers being expected to walk up to 300 metres to board the superbuses of the future.

This was a veiled warning that large residential areas throughout York will be bypassed because these services stick to main routes, overlooking the fact that passengers, young and old, fit and not-so-fit, with buggies, children, perhaps shopping, also have return journeys to make.

Council officials cited "low" figures for pedestrians crossing, but in Fulford, we are used to being suspicious of council figures, because it is the same highways department that claims traffic figures are low enough to allow Germany Beck and other developments to access the A19/Fulford Main Street.

This is the the same department that ruled out traffic islands because the road was too dangerous.

The immediate need is for the crossing phase to be of a reasonable time, given the difficulty of access at the existing crossing.

Perhaps it is to encourage Fulford to provide long-jumpers and sprinters for the Olympics in 2012.

Alan Smith,

Fordlands Road,

Fulford,

York

Updated: 10:39 Friday, August 05, 2005