BARBARA Pettitt reminisced (Letters, February 12) about unfulfilled 1960s plans to demolish the buildings on one side of Gillygate, as part of a big road widening scheme.

She wished that the work had been done and suggested that this would have avoided present day gridlock in the area.

I can assure her that if the widening work had gone ahead, we would now be experiencing the same level of congestion with more vehicles.

It has long been accepted that we can no longer build our way out of traffic jams. Increased road capacity only encourages more car commuting, and brings bigger jams tomorrow, instead of jam tomorrow.

Time and again, we hear the plea of, “Let the traffic flow”. It will only flow if there is less of it at peak times.

That requires more car sharing and more artificial priority for efficient users of road space, such as buses and cyclists. That will also benefit those for whom car use is essential.

York’s new Local Transport Plan will continue to instigate more measures which encourage further reductions in car dependency.

Paul Hepworth, Windmill Rise, Holgate, York.