All routes to Tesco; MAILBAG.

TESCO supermarkets have a lot to offer to the general public, but the proposed Holmfirth location is flawed.

Tesco's traffic consultants have reviewed the area but appear not to have seen the obvious.

The vast majority of people travelling from Brockholes, Honley, Thurstonland, Stocksmoor, Farnley Tyas and beyond are very likely to turn right off the A616 to travel along Luke Lane to get to the proposed Tesco supermarket.

The first problem is the turn itself being at a tight and sloping angle that prevents two normal-sized vehicles passing at the same time.

The bridge at Mytholmbridge at the bottom of the hill and also the bend at the end of the Royd Mill building similarly cause problems.

From that point, the very narrow Luke Lane continues up a steep incline that has no pavement on either side of the road (that already presents a hazard) and where the passing of two vehicles needs considerable care. The problems are particularly exacerbated each day with the 30 double decker buses from Huddersfield (between 6.18 and 22.33) and those going the opposite way towards Huddersfield along with the 11 Metro mini buses that use the route.

Things are made worse during peak travel periods and on the occasions when two double deckers meet one another on the corner or half way up the hill. When this happens, the bus drivers have to skilfully negotiate inch by inch to get past each other. The same problems occur with lorries at various times of the day. Quite often the road becomes blocked.

Woodlands Avenue branches off Luke Lane. This is also an extremely narrow road which runs through a housing estate.

This avenue is sometimes used as 'rat run', very often with complicated and potentially dangerous outcomes such as when recently two coaches were completely stranded as they could not turn into Luke Lane because of the angle and length of their vehicles. Delivery lorries and refuse collection lorries regularly have problems on this road. Woodlands Avenue could well become an even more obvious and therefore busier 'rat run' than it is now should it be used to get to the Tesco site.

Travellers reaching the top of Luke Lane at its junction with Springwood Road have two options.

One is to turn right and then left into the narrow Heys Road travelling past Holmfirth High School and Sports Centre with all the traffic generated there, notably at the chaotic start and close of the school day. At the end of this road a very careful manoeuvre needs to be made to get into New Mill Road to approach the site.

The second alternative is to turn left along Springwood Road towards the junction at the Sycamore pub where four roads meet (Bill Lane, Robert Lane, New Mill Road and Springwood Road).

It is here that there are school crossings for Kirkroyds Infant, Wooldale Junior and the before and after school club and Holmfirth High as well as the Community Centre playgroup and the pre-school group.

Locals know to avoid this junction at peak times, especially when turning right towards the proposed Tesco site.

It is possible that the only safe way to manage traffic would be to install five-way traffic lights with a potential backlog on all four roads.

There are many traffic problems in this area already, a situation that needs careful review at the present time.

Access to the Tesco site can only make things significantly worse. These rural roads are not compatible with a project of this size and are likely to become gridlocked at peak periods. I urge all the people involved in considering this application to travel on the roads mentioned above both by foot and by car at any time of the day, but especially at busy periods. This will make the decision to reject the planning application an informed one based on safety and common sense.

PETER ALLEN Huddersfield