I SHARE the concerns expressed by Cllr Sanders in the Times of December 10 that further housing development in north Plymouth will add to the congestion on the only practicable route between Tavistock and Plymouth, unless effective measures are taken to improve traffic flow.

I had cause to travel to and from Plymouth several times last week and on every occasion I found myself in long lines of nose-to-tail traffic.

One of my journeys coincided with the triple whammy of a burst water main in Crownhill, a five vehicle accident on the Parkway and threatened suspension of the Torpoint ferry. As a result there was total gridlock and a round trip to take my grandchildren to school that would normally take 90 minutes took more than three hours!

However, even on normal days peak-hour travel is very slow with long queues of traffic in both directions, particularly between Crownhill and Woolwell roundabout.

The building of 1,200 houses adjacent to the A386 corridor will only add to the existing travel difficulties. I see no prospect of the situation improving until the highway between the Toby Carvery (formerly The George) and Woolwell roundabout becomes a dual carriageway, which should have happened when ‘The George’ junction was remodelled several years ago to improve the operational capacity of Plymouth airport, which has now closed.

At the same time that the numbers of cars is increasing, the availability and convenience of public transport is decreasing, at least for some. One of the attractions when we moved to Whitchurch three years ago was the hourly bus service to and from Plymouth that travelled along the Whitchurch Road.

This service has subsequently been eroded and with the introduction of Stagecoach’s new timetable in the New Year there will be no direct buses between Whitchurch and Plymouth at all.

The circular 89 service will continue to provide public transport to and from Tavistock bus station but this adds considerably to the journey time between Whitchurch and Plymouth. The alternative is to walk to and from the Plymouth Road; something that soon loses its appeal on the dark and wet winter mornings and evenings.

Several years ago we made a conscious decision to be a one-car family and we dispensed with our second car. However the reduction in bus services may cause us to reconsider this decision given that my wife works in Plymouth and commutes on a daily basis. No doubt others will feel the need to run two, or even more, cars per family for similar reasons.

Motorists will not even consider giving up their cars unless there is an affordable, convenient and reliable public transport alternative.

 I am pleased to read that West Devon Borough Council, South Hams District Council, Devon County Council and Plymouth City Council will work together to ensure that ‘appropriate measures’ are put in place to deal with traffic congestion.

I sincerely hope that the planning and highways authorities will also take into account the consequences for the already saturated A386 of any further applications to build additional housing in north Plymouth, Yelverton or Tavistock.

Councillor Sanders asks whether others share his opinion that the roads are already at capacity and under a lot pressure. Based on my recent experience I, for one, certainly do.

Cllr Paul Ward (town)

Whitchurch Road