These lights take so long to change during the morning rush hour that traffic backs up over Godmanchester Bridge and Hartford Road – past Riverside Park.
The whole of the left hand lane of Huntingdon ring road, from Godmanchester Bridge is nose to tail most mornings from around 7.15am through the rush hour.

Added to this are the delays for pedestrians to cross near Elphics Store and the further delays due to the bus lane traffic phase. The result is that vehicles are now travelling in the outer lane of the ring road towards Ermine Street and the police station. They either force their way into the out of town traffic queue waiting to turn towards Brampton or they cross the traffic lights and drive into the George Hotel car park, cutting through to George Street to the lights.
On one morning I witnessed 18 cars, vans and taxis rat-running into the hotel car park in the space of just one minute.

If you multiply this by the number of minutes in the rush hour it is a very significant number of vehicles who are causing a major safety problem.

It is a public car park which is also used by the hotel patrons and staff. It is only a matter of time until a pedestrian is badly hurt. I have spoken to the manager of the hotel and he is very concerned for the safety of his staff and legitimate car park users.
The problem has only been in existence since the introduction of the new bus lane, the new road layout and the time lag on the traffic lights.

I believe Cambridgeshire County Council needs to rectify this as a matter of urgency. My initial thought is to install a drive-over retractable barrier, which will only let people out onto the ring road access/egress point from the car park.
Of course this could increase traffic on High Street as drivers complete their rat run using public roads, meaning the police need to be more active.

Cllr Jeff Dutton
Huntingdonshire District Council
Huntingdon North

Will powers affect debate?

>> I attend many St Neots Town Council meetings to keep in touch with local issues and be available should the council require assistance from my position as districit and county councillor.

However, I was ashamed to be involved with the town council's activities on March 5 when the Lib Dems changed the constitution and elected a leader and deputy who can authorise spending and carry out projects without taking it to full council for debate.
This is clearly a breach of the democratic system where spending and projects allow all councillors to debate and vote for the ward they represent.

I have always said that local issues should be political and town councillors should be independent of politics.
We now see the Lib Dem pack taking sole control even to the detriment of their own members' rights to debate and vote on local issues.
Few of the Lib Dem councillors seem to have any idea what is going on and are being used by the leader and mayor to put democracy to one side.
As far as I'm concerned I will step back from the town council but I'll continue to fight for better services and try to take St Neots forward through my district and council seats - the town council is beyond help.

Cllr Bob Farrer
District and county councillor

>> CLLR Hayward (Town Crier, Your View, March 6), gives a sterling defence of the role of the Liberal Democrat  'Champions' on the St Neots Town Council, of which she is one.
She claims that her "fundamental task as a town councillor is to pursue the interests of the town and represent all its residents".
I am therefore extremely disappointed that the Lib Dems forced through the idiotic plan by Cllrs Giles and Thorpe to transfer many of the powers of the council to the leader and deputy leader.
All the councillors were elected equally last May and the constitutional changes passed by the leadership of the Liberal Democrats has ensured that all of the 16 remaining councillors are stripped of their powers to challenge and debate proposals in an open arena.
In short it has rendered the "fundamental task" Cllr Hayward speaks of as impossible to fulfil.

Simon Burton
Beezling Close

Car rescue

>> On Saturday night (March 8) at Hinchingbrooke car park, my car wouldn't start and I had no phone and it was getting dark.
Around the corner came two sooped-up cars, filled with passengers and they drove right up beside me, jumped out and offered to help jump-start my car.

I would like to say thank you to them for not judging me by my appearance and for their unconditional care.
In my experience the above situation is normal and the majority of young people have their hearts in the right place. While I have met many, who, if I am honest, have looked more than a little scary, these came to my aid without being asked and have hearts of gold.

Caroline Armes
St Ives


We don't want wind farm

>> Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Ramblers oppose the proposal to build eight wind turbines at Cotton Farm on the old wartime airfield at Graveley.
Each turbine will be in excess of 400 feet tall (125m) and will dominate and alter the character of the landscape of the Ouse valley.
Anyone walking the Ouse Valley Way would have these monsters in their sight from Huntingdon to St Neots and beyond. The Pathfinder Way would be even more adversely affected.

Apart from the inescapable visual impact, the right to quiet enjoyment of the countryside would be completely impaired by any person using this footpath and others around Graveley.
It is disappointing that the planning department of Huntingdonshire District Council did not consult with the local ramblers of this proposal even though it materially affects local footpaths.

Bill Thompson
Countryside and footpath officer
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Ramblers Association


Time for a change?

>> DURING 2007 I had the rare privilege of meeting and working with a group of people trying to prevent the sale of the Corn Exchange. It was their enthusiasm and dedication that eventually won the day and we are now in the situation that St Ives will have a revived community centre in the heart of town.

I was dismayed with the way party politics had implemented the very idea of putting a much loved building up for auction. Their resistance against a rescue package put forward by ACE was galling.
There is probably no staunch-a-Tory than myself but when it comes to the relationship between voters and the people who represent them at the real grass roots level, I am now convinced that it must be totally apolitical.

The response and feeling of the townspeople in questionnaires distributed by ACE was heart-warming and showed the strength of feeling within St Ives about such local issues. Is it any wonder that a number of its members are now standing as independents in order to revitalise local government.

I wish Ian Dobson, Nick Dibben, Martin Collier, Mike Croker, Phil Green and Jonathan Salt every success in the forthcoming elections.
As I look upon Oliver Cromwell in Market Place I can but think of a few words that he uttered in addressing the Rump Parliament in April 1653: "You have been sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you". 

John Tiddy
St Ives


>> I would like to express thanks for Ted Bocking offering his best wishes to the independent candidates who are planning to stand at the St Ives Town Council elections on May 1 (St Ives Town Crier, March 6).
As one of these candidates who has never stood before and is not a member of a political party, I am slightly nervous about what I am letting myself in for. However, I have been greatly re-assured by comments from everyone who has spoken to me over the weekend.

A large number of people approached me to say they are glad ordinary people are looking to get involved in the running of the town. There is now a positive mood in St Ives, with everyone believing that change is overdue and are looking forward to casting their vote.

None of the other candidates I have spoken to expect this to be an easy process. We don't doubt that there will be difficult decisions. But looking at the quality of the independent candidates, from a wide range of businesses with strong management skills, the level of professionalism and decision making will be greatly improved, for the benefit of everyone.

St Ives is a great town and I want to play a part in making sure it has a great future.
If anyone wants to get involved in making this happen, either by standing as a candidate or helping with the campaign, then please get in touch through the website www.i4si.org.

Mike Croker
Independent candidate


Youth club

>> I read with great interest about the alcohol problem in St Neots and the recent meeting that was held at Longsands warning parents and teenagers of the problems associated with alcohol abuse (Town Crier, March 6).

I believe that we could really help the situation greatly if St Neots had a youth club. The teenagers of the town need somewhere to go and something fun to occupy their time.
I have a 12-year-old son and spoke to him about the alcohol. He said that there are no facilities for the kids and maybe some do it if they are bored. I got together a group of his friends and they came up with some great ideas such as an art room, dance room, a band and music room and a coffee bar.

I believe if we give our children something fun and a place they can hang out they won't want to go out and get drunk. I am not sure what space there is in the town but maybe somewhere in the St Neots College?
I wonder if there are any other readers concerned about the future of their teenagers and what they think of the idea of the youth club.

Let's give our children something else to focus on and a safe place to go at night which is fun and properly run and maybe the problem of alcohol abuse will disappear.

Annie Morton