I READ with complete amazement that City of York Council had commissioned a traffic survey in the two Poppleton villages and that the conclusion was that £250,000 needed to be spent (December 29).

As a resident of the village for 14 years, I am not aware of any problems with accidents or traffic other than the use of the village as a rat run by a small number of drivers, between the A59 and the ring road, in the morning rush hour.

I do have two concerns: the urbanisation of what is still a village and the waste of local taxpayers' money on unnecessary traffic schemes such as the recent construction of three traffic islands at the junction of Millfield Lane and Low Poppleton Lane.

If it is to spend money, the city council should improve the northern ring road, which is the cause of frustration and the waste of time and fuel for countless York motorists and the reason people use the village as a rat run.

David K Johnson,

Main Street,

Upper Poppleton, York.

...HERE we go again, more roadworks, this time scheduled for the A19 roundabout at Shipton Road to enlarge the roundabout and provide a link into the Rawcliffe Park & Ride.

Just how much has already been wasted on the traffic lights at the entrance to the Park & Ride - and how much was wasted on changing the lane priorities not so long back?

Why was this not all done at once when the Park & Ride was built, or is that too simple for the bureaucrats in York?

Jeremy Banyard,

Bramham Grove,

Acomb, York.

Staying united

IN reply to Mr Parker (Letters, January 3), it is clear those who are content to see the break up of our United Kingdom know full well that the UK is stronger than the sum of its parts. They cannot stand the fact that the Union Flag is our national flag, whatever its historical origins. The English flag is merely one constituent part.

Breaking up the UK is the first, and by far the most important step of the Euro Surrender Brigade in achieving a final goal of turning us into nothing more than a collection of Euro regional zones administered from Brussels.

The last time such a serious plan was in place was during the rule of Adolph Hitler in Nazi Germany. Then, as now, the biggest barrier preventing an EU Superstate was the national identities of the peoples of Europe.

The Tories have rightly criticised the government for ignoring the UK's bi-centenary on January 1, 2001. Lord Falconer, Cabinet office minister, keen to please everyone said: "We would consider any proposals and whether it would be appropriate to support them." Labour's third way is proving to be nothing more than facing both ways!

Why do those who wish to see the destruction of the United Kingdom find the idea of us returning to being a normal, democratic, self-governing nation so difficult to live with?

Eric Wood,

Oakdale Road,

Clifton Moor,

York.

Updated: 10:56 Wednesday, January 10, 2001