CLLR Jack Foster is a very nice man, with a remarkable track record of achievement for this town.

Sadly, when it comes to an assessment of the local traffic situation, he has completely lost the plot.

Cllr Foster's refusal, as Bolton's highways chief, to launch an investigation into current traffic chaos was bad enough. But his comments that he would not dream of braving the jams of St Peter's Way and that commuters should catch the bus or train were insensitive and misjudged, to put it mildly.

For too long, the Bolton area has been ringed with roadworks which create long james most of the day, and complete mayhem at rush-hour times.

Anyone who has been caught in at least one (and you can go for the double or even triple whammy of roadworks in a single journey quite easily) can vouch that buses also figured in the queues.

And if you go for a train on some commuter lines like Lostock, prepare for the "sardine special" on the train - if you can find somewhere to park first, that is.

As we said, Cllr Foster has been a pillar of this community for many years, but in this instance he is completely wrong. We hope that those who advise him will, forcefully, point this out, and that something positive is done immediately to help all those using local roads.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.