ANN Reid's globally renowned wedding convoy - a journey so legendary it makes Hannibal's Alpine expedition look like a trip to the bathroom - now has our unqualified support.

It turns out that Coun Reid's traffic light-defying trip puts her one up on royalty. And in our book, that's a triumph.

The rumpus set us thinking about the origins of York's traffic lights system, which brought us to Hugh Murray's excellent history of the subject.

It begins: "On 17th September, 1931 Queen Mary, accompanied by her daughter, Princess Mary (who became Princess Royal in 1932), drove from Goldsborough to make a private visit to the Earl of Carlisle at Castle Howard.

"As they passed through York they were recognised by passers-by as their car was stopped at two places by robots. What were these robots that produced an intrusion on the royal privacy? This was the name given to the earliest traffic lights and Queen Mary was indeed unlucky to have been caught by two out of three sets then installed on her route through York."

Put statistically, the Queen and her daughter glided straight through only 33 per cent of the traffic lights they encountered. Whereas the executive member for planning and transport and her daughter sailed through 100 per cent. Good on you, councillor!

Hugh's fascinating article reveals that the first permanent traffic lights arrived in Leeds in February 1928, and York had two sets by the end of that year, on Museum Street and, appropriately, Queen Street.

On the first day, police constables were stationed at the junctions to ensure the signals were obeyed.

"Nevertheless," wrote Hugh, "some confusion was experienced, particularly by the long stream of cyclists leaving Rowntree's factory at lunchtime.

"When the lights changed to red the leading cyclists dismounted in the road to the surprise of those following behind."

TOMORROW, the 200th anniversary of Nelson's victory at Trafalgar, there will be a talk on him and the battle in Green Hammerton Reading Room at 8pm.

One of Nelson's captains at the battle was grandfather to the lady of the manor at Green Hammerton from 1854 to 1893. Her family helped build the village church and the school in 1874.

There is no charge for admission. For further details, contact Ivan Andrew on 01423 331158.

OR if you're in London, you could check out the official premiere of A Cock & Bull Story which takes place tomorrow, fully four months after its first screening in Coxwold. It goes on general release, we are given to believe, at the end of the year.

The film is an adaptation of Tristram Shandy, the comic novel written by vicar Laurence Sterne while he lived in Shandy Hall, Coxwold, in the 18th century.

As the Diary has revealed before, several of the stars, including Steve Coogan and Stephen Fry, filmed scenes in Shandy Hall.

But, we were alarmed to read in the Guardian, the North Yorkshire location has been all but usurped.

Said the report: "The film has taken Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk, a National Trust stately pile, as the photogenic scene for this re-enactment. 'The house is far too big for Shandy Hall,' comments one of the crew confidentially, 'but that's what they want, to make it sexy.'"

Coxwold not sexy? What a load of cock and bull.

Updated: 08:57 Thursday, October 20, 2005