Letters: Road and rail

It is ironic that when the road was first mooted, 30-odd years ago, it was opposed by the then Middlesbrough Council because it would cut into green areas on their housing estates to the east of the railway. County highways engineers later admitted they had probably not helped their case by labelling the road "the Marton motorway".

To the surprise of many people, Middlesbrough's objection resulted in the road being deleted from development plans. In fact, the scheme - which has since been very much reduced in scale - would have involved the demolition of only four houses and these were already in the possession of the then county council. The irony lies in the fact that it is the present Middlesbrough Council which is pressing for the road to be built.

Coun Walsh seems to suggest it is a choice between either a road or a light rail system. Surely it is possible - indeed necessary - to have both, especially when the huge new hospital complex is fully occupied.

The railway line is already there and there is nothing to prevent it being developed, upgraded and used more intensively, as Mr Medhurst suggests, to make a valuable contribution to solving some of the area's transport problems. But a new road alongside it would also be a vital artery to relieve congestion on Stokesley/Marton Road and Ormesby Bank.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

Coun Walsh condemns "yet more road building from the school of thought that brought us land-grubbing dual carriageways..." Where would Teesside (and particularly Redcar Cleveland) be now without the A19, Parkway and A66 dual carriageways, the result of the "Seventies thinking" he scorns?

MALCOLM RACE

Angrove Close

Great Ayton

Sir, - As usual, Franklin Medhurst is thoughtful and provocative but his recent letter (DST April 25) was quite remarkable even for him. Was it a pre-emptive strike or a matter of prescience? He could hardly know that your issue of the same date would contain not one but two items of relevance on pages one and nine.

His letter is quite remarkable for another reason - as he evinces a change of heart or perhaps of mind in calling for a rail solution to Teesside's transport problem and not a road solution as suggested by him many years ago.

His knowledge of Teesside is unrivalled since he was head of the Teesside Survey and Plan and has continued to observe the region ever since as planner and architect.

My first reaction was to suggest that Mayor Malign and Coun Walsh should lead their respective councils in the direction of a joint independent feasibility study. I was hoping that this would steer the councils away from the present confrontation. However it may be that the consultation and business plan referred to by you will come up with a sensible solution acceptable to all.

Of course life would be so much easier and better organised if Teesside were unified and not fragmented - the concept of unity being a policy we initiated and have advocated since 1958. Whilst continuing to strive for unity I can assure Mr Medhurst that we shall give serious consideration to his proposal.

DAVID SIMON

Chairman, Teesside Study Group

Levenside,

Stokesley.

Spot the butterfly

Sir, - In the past few years, readers of the D&S Times have responded to my appeals for records of the orange tip butterfly and this newspaper is actually given credit in the Millennium Atlas of Butterflies of Britain and Ireland.

This year sees the arrival of a new butterfly in our area, the holly blue, which may now be seen flying through gardens looking for holly bushes on which it lays its eggs. One can only speculate whether it is "global warming" or some other factor that has enabled this beautiful insect to spread northwards.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who has been lucky enough to see either of these spring butterflies in their garden.

Dr DEREK PARKINSON

Crow Tree Close,

Baildon,

Shipley, West Yorkshire.