FOR those of us who regularly travel the Grane Road between Blackburn and Haslingden it is quite upsetting to see the growing number of sites covered in flowers of remembrance.

In the past two weeks, the police have put in a visible presence, with motorway-style cars parked at the Grey Mare, morning and evening, looking for those who insist in using a busy minor road as a motorway or race track.

But we know that it will do little to curb the death toll as the police cannot be in all the places at once.

In reality, it has always been this way, with boy racers and impatient people passing at inopportune places. If they cause their own deaths that is sad for their loved ones, but causing the deaths of other innocent people is all the worse.

The reason there are more deaths now is the weight of traffic and, included in that, the increased number of HGVs.

Not that the HGV drivers do anything wrong, it is just that such large numbers bog down the traffic flow which, in turn, incites the irresponsible drivers among us.

We all know that the increase in traffic and of HGVs is due to the M65. The Grane Road is not a true feeder road to the motorway as there is no population centre, but it makes a super short cut.

The answer is simple - it is not speed that kills on the Grane Road; it is overtaking. Do two things and I believe you can cut the death toll dramatically. Firstly, put double white lines along the entire length from the Blackburn M65 junction to the Haslingden bypass junction. If overtaking is the cause of the deaths, simply stop overtaking and let people know that if they take the Grane Road they are in a train from one end to the other.

Secondly, put a really low weight limit (except for access). Those who feel they must drive fast, or in big wagons, should go the "long way round."

BOB HUDSON, Tippet Close, Blackburn.

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