HAVING read Keith Baker's remarks (Letters, May 1), I cannot agree more that the traffic flow in Darwen is becoming completely ridiculous.

It appears to be change just for the sake of change, with not a single thought for the consequences.

But Duckworth Street is not the only accident waiting to happen. The furore over the traffic flow near the new motorway junction seems to have died down, but the situation is getting worse.

When driving from Blackburn into Darwen, why is the left lane not marked for left turn only? As there is no right turn, then, clearly, the right-hand lane should be marked for ahead only, with the left-hand lane for motorway traffic only, with a filter light to ease congestion.

Consequently, two lanes of traffic shoot away from the lights side by side and then have to jockey for position when the road narrows just beyond the lights. And to make matters even more difficult, the idiot planners have widened the pavements here and built an island in the road. So now, when the lights go to green, it is a Le Mans-style race to get to the island and cut out the motorist in the other lane! It will not be long before someone comes to grief on the island, or has to mount the pavement and risk killing a pedestrian.

Similarly, in terms of the crazy congestion being seen when driving the other way (towards Blackburn), why has no-one seen fit to erect a filter light for those travelling straight on towards Blackburn when the traffic coming from Blackburn is moving?

I have lost count of the number of times I have sat in long queues of traffic stopped at a red light when there is absolutely no reason for them to be stopped. A simple filter light here (like that at the Aqueduct) would enable the traffic to continue to flow smoothly and avoid these ridiculous and unnecessary tailbacks which, at peak times, can stretch right back to Hollins Grove.

Some time ago, I read a comment from one of your correspondents likening the planners to something out of Monty Python. He was wrong - the Monty Python team at least had a talent and ability in their chosen professions.

IAN PRESTON, Tockholes Road, Darwen.

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