Park and ride

SIR, — One agrees with Robert Smythson s letter (Herts Advertiser, March 20) saying that the new Butterfly World project will certainly generate huge numbers of additional traffic which will increase the need for a park-and-ride scheme. But I do not agree

SIR, - One agrees with Robert Smythson's letter (Herts Advertiser, March 20) saying that the new Butterfly World project will certainly generate huge numbers of additional traffic which will increase the need for a park-and-ride scheme.

But I do not agree with his suggestion for its location at the bottom of Holywell Hill which will surely only make the traffic congestion on this side of St Albans even worse.

I feel the ideal location for a park-and-ride scheme could be on the huge derelict pocket of land between the Noke and M25 roundabouts. This could then take traffic from the M25, M1, M10 and A405 without the need to come into St Albans at all and be ideally located to serve visitors to the Rose Garden and Butterfly World by bus.

The bus service could then run from these into St Albans city centre - possibly a dropping off point at the bottom of Holywell Hill for Verulamium Park - possibly proceed into Catherine Street and Normandy Road to serve St Albans City Hospital, then into Batchwood, up Bluehouse Hill to drop off for Verulamium Museum, park and lake, to return to base along King Harry Lane.

I know the problem will be that this aborted golf-course land is not owned by either St Albans District Council or Herts County Council but surely with this valuable piece of land laying derelict for all these years, it should be compulsorily purchased. Dare I suggest that this should be done by the mandarins at County Hall using the money they have received by selling off St Albans assets - such as, for example, the Carnegie library, the old fire station etc. The worry with this is it would probably entail more pain for St Albans at the hands of Herts Highways.

GORDON NEGUS,

Sandridge Road, St Albans.