Sir, So Cumbria County Council are happy with traffic flows during the water main renewals are they?

What were they measuring this against complete gridlock? But the recent chaos we have suffered is nothing compared to what we will be stuck with permanently once this ludicrous traffic "management" scheme is completed and Stricklandgate is pedestrianised.

Am I the only person to have spotted that all north-bound traffic will be funnelled from two lanes on Highgate into one lane down Lowther Street, which is already regularly choked with traffic? Doesn't the term "bottle-neck" spring to mind? Once the heavy traffic still using Stricklandgate joins them to battle its way through the forest of traffic signals, the results will be appalling.

Traffic in South Kendal will experience the horrendous delays that those of us entering via Windermere Road have had to put up with for the last 18 months. Frustrated drivers are already resorting to the back streets via Burneside Road and Queens Road to avoid watching their lives waste away in town centre jams.

These are narrow residential roads which are entirely unsuited to heavy traffic, and the jams at the junctions of Queen's Road and Burneside Road with Windermere road will become horrendous and make life a misery for the residents. And no, the answer is not to close off these roads, nor add yet more speed bumps and traffic lights.

It is a complete oxymoron to suggest that traffic moves faster by stopping every few hundred yards for three-four minutes at a time at traffic lights. The lights at Stricklandgate let only eight vehicles through at a time on to Windermere Road, despite CCC promising to monitor the situation. Well, I monitor it every day CCC, and I can confirm that you have not changed it - it is still awful.

How long do they need to monitor it before they accept the obvious they have wasted our time and money, and are now proposing to throw good money after bad to make it even worse. Once the new paviours are down on Stricklandgate, it will cost hundreds of thousands to undo.

I have a message for CCC and their traffic consultants, who are tragically trying to justify their existence and expensive training courses: This is our town, not yours. Leave it alone. No one likes what you have done not the drivers, the businesses, the retailers, the residents, the bus companies, the taxi drivers, nor anyone else.

What do we have to do to make you listen? It takes real courage to admit you are wrong and salvage this mess, particularly when so much of our money has been wasted to date. Stop this madness now before it is too late.

A. Williams Staveley n Sir, Thank you Ian Sager for pointing out the stupidity of the council proposing to waste £940,000 in pedestrianisation of part of Kendal town centre against local opinion that this will be a disaster, for the flow of traffic in and around the town and also for business. (Letters, February 20, Stop wasting money').

No one will visit the town from choice if time is lost in long traffic queues.

This is not acceptable, it goes against common sense, something which is sadly lacking both in Government down to local councils. May we know the names of the councillors who voted for this, what is their background, what knowledge do they bring to enable them to have confidence to vote in this way?

Before this plan is set' why not put traffic cones to block the road either end and let there be a trial for a number of months and see how the traffic flow is affected.

Mrs Joyce Carlson Milnthorpe