If Dr Duthie and Dr Power (Letters, September 17) are so concerned about air quality and through traffic why did they choose to live on Lowther Street?

I challenge them to back up their claim the ‘vast majority’ of residents support closures. As a long-standing Groves resident, when talking to many other Groves residents I find most people are not in agreement with that claim.

I suffer repeated health issues which call for ambulance attendance. The vehicle now has to go all the way round The Groves to be able to get to me. An extra 15 minutes at best; even with blue flashing lights.

And as for Lord Mayors Walk coping with the extra traffic, that is absurd. It couldn’t cope before the changes and we have yet to see all schools, universities and businesses return to normal after the Covid crisis.

Toby Laverack, Dudley Mews, The Groves,York

Council deserves praise for restoring communities

Our daughter lives in Wandsworth, where the traffic reduction scheme referenced by Malcolm Higgins (Letters, September 16) was put in place. She is distraught that it has been abandoned and that they have lost the peace and clean air experienced for such a short while.

Unfortunately Transport for London put in a cycle lane on the main road at the same time, which meant that traffic could not overtake and emergency vehicles could not get through.

Now she is woken again, during the night and early morning, by the traffic rushing along bumping the bottom of their vehicles on the sleeping policemen; a loss of peace and quiet and a return to rat-running pollution.

This is an area like the Groves, but bigger and built in the Victorian era when there were no cars.

Councils all over England are attempting to do something similar. Bringing communities together, ending rat-running, combating pollution and safer walking are all important benefits that the low-traffic neighbourhoods bring.

I have been shocked at the vitriol expressed by car drivers who think their needs are greater than others.

Let’s praise our council and individuals for attempting to do something about the problem. It might not work but we can at least give it a chance.

Verna Campbell, Fulford Park, Fulford, York