Regarding the letter concerning Rectory Lane in the Comet (April 20). I am sure there are similar reports from the council suggesting acceptable speeds and traffic volumes for Rectory Lane. Perhaps if the writer tried living in any of the others roads aff

Regarding the letter concerning Rectory Lane in the Comet (April 20). I am sure there are similar reports from the council suggesting acceptable speeds and traffic volumes for Rectory Lane.

Perhaps if the writer tried living in any of the others roads affected by the past closure she would appreciate the increased volume of traffic. I was not aware that Rectory Lane was built with the sole aim of servicing the houses in that road. I assumed that it was intended as a route from the Old Town through to Weston village as that is where the original full length of road went.

If the road was closed at Weston Road as suggested, allowing the residents to continue to have full access to their private drive then the problem would not be solved as suggested. Traffic would go down Grace Way, Almond Lane and then Rectory Lane. This would increase traffic past a primary school endangering many children. During the last closure, as a pedestrian with a child at the school, I had to negotiate a busy road made extremely dangerous by cars being forced to do three point turns either at the side roads or at the church. This caused great difficulty in crossing Almond Lane, with Rectory Lane open the cars only need to continue in one direction.

Perhaps the residents of Rectory Lane would like to try and live elsewhere in Stevenage then they would appreciate that increased traffic is not restricted to their road. I doubt if there is a single road in Stevenage that has not experienced increased traffic, speed and accidents, many of which are far more serious than the few lost wing mirrors caused by drivers travelling too fast for the road conditions. The footpaths of Rectory Lane could easily be expanded and made safer if local residents were prepared to give up parts of their land for expansion. Also, the driveways would be considerably safer if those residents cut down their hedges and lowered their walls so they had proper visibility. Their driveway problems are their own doing and would not be resolved by closure of the road unless they plan on making it pedestrian only, no motor vehicles.

The past closure of Rectory Lane made other roads in the area far more dangerous and failed in its bid to make safer routes to school, since it reopened the routes affected have become safer, therefore a future closure is likely to lead to a fatal accident elsewhere. Speed humps will slow the traffic and make it less favourable as a route. Personally, I prefer the dual carriageway as a route for driving, but regularly walk down St Albans Drive. Incidentally I do not see that many cars heading towards or from Rectory Lane between 8.30 and 9am.

TRACY, St Nicholas, Not Great Ashby

* Re Rosemary Tompkin's letter in The Comet dated April 20 regarding the closure of Rectory Lane.

Perhaps she would like to visit Walkern Road as it is now with the building lorries queuing from the building site entrance to halfway down the road. Cars are parked on both sides of the road as a majority of Letchmore and Walkern Road residents do not have garages or parking spaces on their premises.

Walkern Road is a feed road for five schools; Barclay, Almonds Hill, Letchmore, Alleynes and Woolenwick and at school times the traffic on these roads in often at a standstill.

This is a designated school safety area fitted with traffic calming humps and a 20mph speed limit which few take any notice of! Closing Rectory Lane would not help this situation.

MRS J IBBETT, Walkern Road, Stevenage