‘Traffic lights’ show if train seats are free

♦ A rail company is testing a system designed to help customers find a free seat more easily.

An occupied seat will have a red light above it, while an unoccupied reserved seat will show as amber. A free, unreserved seat will flash green.

Train operators said it would enable passengers to spot free seats at a glance, and help ease overcrowding.

LNER hopes to implement the system as soon as the autumn. A spokesman for the company, which recently took over the East Coast line, said: “These sensors are part of a new seat reservations system which will allow customers to find a seat far easier and quicker.”

SIR – News that the number of children walking to school has declined in recent years – despite a £1.2billion campaign backed by the Government (report, August 4) – did not surprise me in the slightest.

As more parents seek to place their children in “better” schools or academies, pupils often travel some considerable distance from their homes, invariably by car. I doubt that central Government considered the implications of establishing academies on existing busy roads, which has led to massively increased traffic flows and greater pollution. As pressure increases on school places, this situation is likely to worsen. Elaine Derrick

Thurnby, Leicestershire

SIR – How much research did the architects of the government scheme conduct into the particular needs of rural communities, where pedestrians must contend with narrow roads, blind bends obscured by high hedges, and speeding vehicles driven by parents who have just deposited their children at school?

The first priority of these rural communities is to reduce the number of speeding vehicles (including buses) on unrestricted roads. Some of the funding from this failed campaign could have helped to make roads safer for children walking to school. Keith Taylor

Peterchurch, Herefordshire

SIR – I would not feel happy to allow a child to cycle to school (which the Government wants to encourage) in this country – but in Holland, cycling seems to be the primary mode of transport for all ages.

It seems possible to cycle almost anywhere in Holland in safety on dedicated cycleways or on roads with wide cycle lanes. Even old towns have been adapted to include cycle lanes and routes to encourage cycling.

A fraction of the money to be spent on HS2 could instead be earmarked to provide safe cycling routes across Britain, with a consequent fall in the number of cars on the road and a reduction in pollution. Robert Mason

Sandhurst, Berkshire