Walter Fleet, of Mount Boone Lane, Dartmouth, writes:

Are we really expected to take the traffic plan seriously or is it just that it was a month too early for April 1?

A little more time spent identifying the problem would not have come amiss. It is not the present gyratory traffic system that is the problem, it copes well with the volume of traffic, it as easily adaptable at regatta, and when there are obstructions such as building works or other temporary blockages.

The problem is the volume of traffic, much of it going around and around looking for non existent parking spaces exacerbated by inconsiderate parking, vehicles too large for Dartmouth roads and others unloading at busy times.

The suggestion that vehicles from the Lower Ferry should turn right at the top of the slip and exit along South Embankment is just unworkable, it doesn't take a qualified surveyor to know that the roads there are not wide enough for the ferry queue and two-way traffic. In addition to lorries servicing the shops and pubs, there is a considerable volume of other traffic requiring access to that area. Are they suggesting they turn around at the entrance to Bayard's Cove and go back the way they came.

Closing Smith Street is also a recipe for disaster. Did they not learn anything from the problems at the junction of Anzac Street with Duke Street and Victoria Road when it had to be closed for a while following the fire or do they have other suggestions for traffic entering and leaving Crowthers Hill and Above Town, perhaps it should all exit through South Ford Road?

This scheme has one thing in common with many of the previous schemes – if implemented it would exacerbate the parking situation by reducing the number of places still further.

Providing additional parking on the North Embankment and a multi-storey car park at the bottom of College Way would do little to reduce the volume of traffic through the town as many visitors would simply drive past them to see how far it was to the shops, if it was worth stopping and was their parking nearer to town.

Why move the bus terminal? Where it is is convenient for the shops and central for the river activities. Moving it to the site of the community greenhouse would only serve to destroy this valuable facility and ruin an attractive area while achieving little of the benefit in return.

Moving it to the police station square would only serve to reduce the available parking areas even further as would any moves to pedestrianise the area around the Boatfloat.

If this is further extended to include Duke Street, what proposals do this committee have for routing the buses serving Victoria Road and adjacent streets, are they simply to be left to get on with it.

Can the committee please explain the logic behind pedestrianising the area in front of the Flavel Centre, cars need to get around there to set down and collect elderly and disabled people, others to get to their parking areas not to mention the loss of yet more parking places.

Who do they think will benefit from providing unsightly pay and display metres? Not Dartmouth.

Leave the traffic circulatory system as it is, concentrate on reducing traffic into the town with a good reasonably priced park and ride, try and find a solution to the parking and unloading in Duke Street and the bottom half of Victoria Road and look for areas to provide more individual parking spaces.

Hands off the Coronation Park, the community green-house and the area in front of it. Any solution must not destroy or spoil those things that make Dartmouth the town it is, the things that bring visitors back time and again.

From the item on page 9 of the Chronicle the district council seems prepared to do that, it doesn't need the help of others.