The Press’s leader of October 14 asked if dualling the A1237 could be the “the answer”. It highlighted the fact that this road is carrying far more than its intended traffic volumes.

It did not recall that when built by the Highways Agency, it ran mostly through Ryedale District Council territory. Ryedale allowed extensive greenfield development along its route, which caused this increase.

York subsequently became a unitary authority, whose extended boundaries encompassed the A1237. The road was subsequently detrunked, and became City of York Council’s financial responsibility. About that time, the Department of the Environment belatedly issued national planning guidance to restrict greenfield development. This tipped the balance towards brownfield sites that are accessible by all transport modes. This guidance is intended to reduce car-dependant developments. Hence our current York Central and York Northwest schemes, which will also be accessible by walking, cycling and public transport. Such is the situation which York has inherited on the A1237. Studies by transport planners have concluded its roundabout junctions are the pinch-points. City of York Council spends some £8 million to £9 million a year of council tax income to maintain our existing roads. It does not have the capital to significantly increase network capacity, and so depends on developer contributions, plus Government funds released by the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Transport Board.

To even get on the board’s approved list, projects must meet the Department for Transport’s cost/benefit criteria. The new Haxby rail station will bring large benefits for relatively modest expenditure, and is included in current spending plans.

Dualling the A1237 would bring a massive increase in additional journeys. This unleashing of “suppressed demand” would ultimately only bring a three-minute overall journey time saving over the length of this road. This small benefit is not justified by the estimated £260 million cost of dualling.

Paul Hepworth, Windmill Rise, York.

• If the ring road was dualled without flyovers at the problem junctions, traffic would just get to a bigger jam a bit sooner. If a flyover was built at Rawcliffe the road wouldn’t need to be dual. What would be the cost of a flyover?

David Brown, Acomb House, Front Street, Acomb, York.