DR ANDREW Pritchard’s solution to the strangulation of Oxford by ever-increasing traffic – build new roads into the centre, thus bringing even more traffic in – seems self-defeating (June 26).

Better to discourage and deflect traffic, through a Congestion Charging Zone; relocate big stores to the ring road (and use the vacated spaces for housing eg along Botley Road); extend pedestrian-only zones in the centre; and extend coverage of bus lanes on arterial routes (in places there is room to do this by reducing width of traffic lanes and pavements).

Without this, the current policy of endlessly expanding and developing Oxford will steadily increase the proportion of the day we spend fuming in traffic fumes.

JULIAN LE VAY
Abbey Road
Oxford