Madam,

Your correspondent, Ronald Bott, in his letter of 10 November made an eloquent plea for further bypasses (Towns coming alive again after bypasses introduced).

Here in Gwynedd we believe that the future gains as driver-free technology is brought in are vitally important.

As Dr Rose made clear in a letter in your columns two years ago, driver-free technology is already in use for large vehicles. Its capacity to pack in more than twice the quantities of traffic in existing roads is well established.

The UK, led by an outfit in Oxford, is the leader in development worldwide, and has strong backing in parliament.

Bypasses have emasculated communities like Penrhyndeudraeth, Tremadog, and notably Penygroes which has, according to its residents, been converted from a thriving community into a ghost town.

And in my village, Llanbedr, the county council’s bypass again rears its scaly tail, despite vigorous opposition, a debate much covered in your columns. We are to be lumbered with a “bypass to nowhere” which will strangle the life, commerce and industry in the loveliest village in Snowdonia. And create massive environmental damage which the county council has failed to quantify despite requests under the Freedom of Information Act for it to do so.

It hadn’t done the sums.Diesel fumes are now recognised in Government’s recent rulings to be more cancerous than had been realised (diesel power for new large vehicles is now banned).

Diesel fumes will drift over our village which now rejoices in clean air from the Irish Sea - as poisonous and life-shortening as they are in London.

And this when all that is needed is not the squandering of £12m, but traffic lights at the bridge and zoned parking on the hill, which works satisfactorily in neighbouring Dyffryn Ardudwy.

Yours etc,

Graham Tottle, Maes Artro, Llanbedr.

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