Tentative driving only makes traffic worse

SIR – Recent letters (March 15) have discussed drivers’ behaviour at traffic lights.

One problem in my city is that, while waiting at lights, some drivers leave at least twice the gap required between their car and the one in front. This can be more than the length of a car. The practice sometimes extends to leaving large gaps before the white solid line. Vehicles coming from adjoining controlled side roads sometimes have to wait one more cycle before they can join the queue.

I wonder if drivers are being taught to do this for some spurious safety reason, or whether they are driving cars with engine-stop devices that discourage them from edging forward. Terence Lillicrap

Plymouth, Devon

SIR – Technology to make traffic lights more effective has been available since the Sixties. In Germany there is a “green wave” system, whereby lights are linked and the speed required to reach them at green is displayed, thus keeping traffic flowing and pollution to a minimum. When lights change, electronic counters can also be used to optimise the release of traffic at junctions. John Hinton

East Bergholt, Suffolk

SIR – Terry Lloyd (Letters, March 14), discussing traffic in Derby, did not mention the problem of too many bus stops.

Along the stretch of road to which he refers there are no fewer than 12 bus stops over a distance of a mile and a half – or one every 220yards. Each time a bus stops the traffic is held up, creating yet more congestion and pollution, not to mention driver frustration. Dave Jepson

Derby