When, a while back, I saw the suggestion that a change be made to the A40 Oxford Northern Bypass to turn it into an urban road with speed limits, I had assumed that someone was joking.

However, after reading your report (Oxford Mail, June 21) it becomes clear that these suggestions were made in all seriousness.

This all takes me back to when the council appointed Thomas Sharp to put forward plans to help in the development of the city and with ideas to lessen the effects of traffic.

The report was published as a book called Oxford Replanned (I should have a copy of it but, for the moment, can’t lay my hands on it) – remember, this was at a time when traffic volume was low.

In his report, Mr Sharp did say that Barton should never have been built on the far side of the A40 and suggested that a new road be built to the north of the estate.

Nothing was done about this suggestion but a similar idea was, in the end, put forward by the Ministry of Transport which, I think, was more of an effort to cut congestion on the A40.

This scheme was abandoned after protesters suggested that this new road would damage the environment.

All roads do damage but, in the past, it hasn’t stopped necessary schemes from going forward and, if we must pander to the motor vehicle, I can really see no alternative to a similar scheme being implemented.

Such a road would make it possible to integrate Barton into the rest of Oxford and allow that part of the A40 to be urbanised. One major problem would be created by the delay in getting a road started, with the knock-on effects that would have on the council’s house-building plans.

DERRICK HOLT Fortnam Close Headingto