Sir – Re your report (January 31), Bicester town councillors are right to be concerned at the proposed extensive closure of the London Road level crossing.

And some clarification is needed because the figure of 24 minutes closure per hour quoted by Chiltern Railways has previously been quoted as derived from a figure of 12 trains per hour at two minutes per train.

But since Chiltern now say closure time can be up to four minutes, the figure of 24 minutes closure per hour needs to be reconsidered. This is a situation that will impact on every business and every person in Bicester. Chiltern plays down the problem by talking of the length of the individual closures and avoids consideration of the cumulative tailbacks and resultant jams.

If closure times are to exceed 24 minutes per hour, we need to know how this will impact on Bicester’s growth plans.

Chiltern claims to have done traffic surveys, but I have seen no survey showing the effect of closure for more than 24 minutes relating either to present traffic levels or to levels predicted with Bicester’s growth plans.

This problem was raised at the public inquiry into Chiltern’s proposal.

Chiltern maintained that the problem would be no worse than at other level crossings in the country, but were unable to provide any evidence for this claim.

There were many objections to this closure, but they were brushed aside at the public inquiry with no adequate reasons given or even an acknowledgement of the enormous effect on Bicester traffic. Ironically, the owners of Chiltern Railways, Deutsche Bahn, would not be allowed to cause this level of disruption in their own country. It is most unfortunate for Bicester that they have been allowed to impose it here.

John Offord, Bicester