I'M amazed by some of the arguments made in favour of the bypass, not least by Geraldine Smith MP.

What she seems to be saying is 'Its OK to sacrifice countryside and the quality of life of the residents of south and west Lancaster so that ten minutes can be knocked off the average journey time to the M6.'

OK, if it's so important that you save ten minutes on your journey time, take the M6 link north of the Lune through Torrisholme, or could it be that Geraldine Smith knows that advocating this route might lose her votes at the next election?

And it's a pity our own MP doesn't defend his own backyard. It's time these respondents had a look at the map.

The shortest route to Heysham port from the M6 would be to cross the river somewhere near Glasson, without even touching Lancaster.

Fact: the bypass will do little to improve commuter delays north and east of Lancaster, including standing traffic on the M6? The existing traffic to Morecambe and Heysham hardly touches Lancaster centre.

Fact: The new road will, beyond doubt, spoil established neighbourhoods around Lancaster and some lovely, unspoilt countryside between the Marsh and Glasson.A fantastic community amenity, where people can walk, cycle and enjoy an area with no cars and little noise. I invite you to visit before it disappears under Tarmac.

So, please tell me what the gains are? Is anyone prepared to give a cast-iron guarantee this road will work?

The bypass is being used to open up a corridor of 'green field' development south and west of Lancaster.

The signs are already up for the new housing development along Ashton Road and this is just the beginning.

This is the reason this road is being pushed so hard. Here's my prediction -- people will still be complaining about Lancaster's traffic problems after this road is built. The real result of this new road will be that intolerable strain will be placed on the existing roads west and south of Lancaster which will become rat-runs. Beware residents living along Ashton Road, Aldcliffe Road, Westbourne Road, West Road and St George's Quay. The quality of your lives is being sacrificed to new development and in the hope of knocking ten minutes off the journey time to the M6 from Heysham. Travel to Preston at peak periods and you will be stuck in queues and they have spent hundreds of millions on new roads. It may make a good headline to say that anyone opposed to the bypass is 'anti-car and wants everyone to cycle ' butI drive a car in Lancaster everyday and, like many people here, I have serious concerns about the effect this road will have on my neighbourhood. I haven't heard one serious argument that the bypass will actually solve the city's traffic problem which are complex.

But I am certain that, whether it works or not, it will affect our localities permanently, and once it is built there is no going back. I think we who live in Lancaster know our roads better than anyone. It won't work.

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