I HATE to take issue with Brinley Morris but the Falmouth Residents' Association's belief that reversing traffic flow in the town would reduce traffic levels by 30% may be based on a misconception.

Falmouth Town Centre Forum was initially sympathetic to this concept until an eagle-eyed member spotted that the statistic derived from the 2000 Ove Arup report which predicted that "reversal of traffic flow and the closure of Church Street car park would together reduce traffic to approximately 950 vehicles a day, or 30% of the existing" - the key phrase here obviously being "closure of Church Street car park." When the Forum investigated this further, it appeared that traffic reversal on its own would have little affect other than to introduce difficulties for delivery lorries and traders.

The Forum did, however, back a proposal for two-way traffic leading to and from Church Street car park. On the face of it, this may seem to have been a bizarre suggestion but when the proposals were closely examined it was realised that making Church Street car park effectively a dead end, except for delivery and residents vehicles further along Church Street and Arwenack Street, would have produced a major reduction in traffic movements overall. It is patently obvious that the majority of vehicles using these roads during the daytime are openly flouting the access restrictions and, if resources are not available to police this problem then two-way traffic by its very nature will stop people using the centre of town as a through route. However, as we know, this idea was not to be as it did not gain wider acceptance.

We are promised that the Terrance O'Rourke report will be released for a further round of consultations shortly. This report contains a number of radical proposals for traffic management in the town and I hope that Falmouth will be able to grasp this nettle and agree a consensus on what is best for our future. What is absolutely clear from the many letters in the press, especially from visitors, is that the current situation of being jostled and bumped along Market and Church Street by traffic is just not tenable.

On the separate issue of dirt and litter, Carrick and Cory work harder than people probably realise, within the resources they have, cleaning up our town early every morning. If we are to make any progress with this particular problem, it has to be down to a better sense of civic pride among all of us. So much of Falmouth's town centre could be improved overnight if County Highways had the money to improve those parts of the public realm which are under their control. As they don't appear to, it looks like we will have to put up with messy signage and a patchwork quilt of road and pavement repairs until resources can be found.

Finally, I would remind Packet readers that the Town Centre Forum welcomes public attendance at its meeting and, from 7.15 to 7.30pm at each meeting, there is an opportunity for members of the public to raise points they wish considered. The next Forum meeting will be held at the National Maritime Museum on September 20.

Christopher S F Smith, chair, Town Centre Forum