IN his intemperate letter, D Fearnley (Your Views: April 23) recognises that "traffic in Daisy Hill in particular is a real problem" and that "a major problem is localised traffic exacerbated by wider traffic."

How much greater would such problems be if Wigan Council began to build that A5225 without ensuring that it did take 'wider traffic' away from Daisy Hill and other parts of Westhoughton?

In my view it would be nonsensical for the A5225 to be built solely within the Borough of Wigan and end at a series of roundabouts at the Bolton Borough boundary, only to add to queues of 'localised' traffic trying to move on the existing inadequate road system in Westhoughton.

Unless Bolton and Wigan planning authorities jointly agreed the line of the A5225,and ensured that it was built and operated to achieve that separation of 'localised' and 'wider' traffic, the loss of open space involved in building it would not be justified. Even if that happened, of course, road traffic in Daisy Hill and Westhoughton would remain 'a real problem' for which D Fearnley offered no solution.

Travel to/from Bolton at all hours from this part of the Borough will continue to be predominantly by private car, given the current inadequate (and unreliable and deregulated) public transport services provided.

Even if the political will and financial packages were evident to create an express bus service via a new bus-lane corridor, or even a more frequent train service (with additional carriages during the peak hours) via Westhoughton station, or the laying of a branch line from Daisy Hill station to Bolton to enable a metro-link tramway to be established, the 'people's choice' is unlikely to change

Pat Brennan

Hardy Close

Wingates

Westhoughton