WINCHESTER is very unfriendly for pedestrians and cyclists. The council's Shared Space proposals are alarming and dangerous and the use of the semi-pedestrianised area as an example is ironic. I organised traffic surveys of this area in 2001, with city council and Winchester City Residents Association support and found that 500 buses and taxis used High Street/Middle Brook Street/St George's Street in a typical day.

Additionally, 300 illegally present vehicles hindered buses and often travelled at excessive speeds.

All attempts to persuade the authorities to stop unauthorised use have failed.

Annually in the UK 32,000 people die prematurely from poor air quality and locally, pedestrians suffer an unhealthy, accident-prone environment with 800 vehicles daily in close proximity. Traffic lights give cars priority and several pavement-crossing rat-runs create further hazards for pedestrians.

Local authorities could help pedestrians, shoppers and cyclists by enforcing traffic regulations; curtailing loading/unloading in St George's Street; pedestrialising the Square; implementing Jewry Street Phase III works; adopting the 20mph city centre scheme and changing traffic signal phasing.

Nothing has been done and the retrograde and unwise decision of the present administration allowing first half-hour parking free, draws motorists into the centre to hunt for spaces. Additional park-and-ride will not decrease movements unless central short stay parking is reduced.

Apparently spaces exceed those of similar sized towns and in this small city there is no need for cars to enter the inner core except where occupants have disabilities.

The objective of the Movement and Access Plan is less use of cars and the requirement that cars must adapt to Winchester and not Winchester to cars.

Shared Space would abandon these principles, worsening the environment for pedestrians (especially elderly or disabled) and cyclists.

It could lead to less use of Winchester's shopping facilities and persuade some residents to leave a beautiful city, which is in danger of being ruined by misguided policies.

It is imperative that these disastrous proposals (which may work in the Netherlands and Denmark but have little chance of success in the UK) are abandoned.

Winchester desperately needs traffic reduction and segregation, not integration.

MAURICE K CHARRETT, Winchester.