IT has been good to see the letters page (The Press, May 25) sparking much needed debate on how best to tackle traffic levels and air pollution in York.

Sadly, the Conservative-led administration has largely taken an ostrich like head-in- the-sand approach to maintaining the status quo while traffic levels increase.

My point about Gillygate was not that we should close it tomorrow, but that we should start a process that looks in detail at the options, taking into account the needs and views of bus users, emergency services, people with disabilities, businesses and residents.

While the impact of any closure or indeed partial closure on other parts of the city is, of course, a very important consideration, so is the impact of continuing bad air quality on the health and well-being of the residents, business owners, school children and many visitors who spend time on and near Gillygate.

This is a street on the edge of the city centre, parallel to the city walls, not many metres away from the Minster and York’s historic core – surely we can do better for it than the current narrow pavements and constant traffic?

Denise Craghill, Councillor for Guildhall ward, Broadway West, York