Like John Rapsch of Hammersmith Bridge Campaign I am most disappointed at the decision of the Labour-controlled Hammersmith and Fulham Council to reopen the bridge - and especially coming as it did in the very week of the publication of John Prescott's White Paper on Transport.

This is indeed a short-sighted decision but it is not necessarily too late to reconsider. Long-term solutions to London's traffic chaos must certainly be found. Continued closure of Hammersmith Bridge to all except public transport, the emergency services and cyclists would set an ideal precedent from which to start.

Let's face it, why shouldn't Putney Bridge also be given the same treatment? It could well make all the difference to Putney High Street - and indeed to Putney's environment in general.

TIM HALL

Fairdale Gardens

Putney

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.