PETER Hobkirk recently raised several indisputable points (LET, January 24) about the traffic chaos in Blackburn's Darwen Street and Boulevard access roads.

However, the problems for motorists are not restricted to that part of town.

The traffic flow in the whole of Blackburn's town centre has never been so bad, and in my view is worse than in any other East Lancashire town.

As a resident for over 50 years, and a driver for 30 years, never has there been such anger and frustration caused to drivers who not only face interminable queues, but have to negotiate humps in the roads, bumps in the pavements and mini roundabouts which seem to spring up overnight. What criteria are set for the installation of these traffic-calming measures? Are the fruits of the council's work ever assessed by the planners? Or the ensuing accidents counted? Or the queues measured? Or the journey times counted along stretches of our main roads?

Preston New Road is a nightmare journey both into and out of town at any time, but at peak times nothing short of a reflection of all that is bad at source - the council's planning. One wonders where it will end, and at what cost. How does the council justify its decisions and evaluate the outcome?

R WILSON, Beardwood, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.