Sir – Two of the proposed new layouts for Frideswide Square by the county council are exciting and offer the prospect of creating a new urban space worthy of the site.

However, the most obvious and least expensive solution seems to have been ruled out — just turning the lights out.

Rather than spend the millions of pounds which each of the three proposals will cost just turning the lights off will cost next to nothing.

All that is required is adequate warning that from such and such a date there will be lights-free navigation through the square and it is almost a certainty that the traffic will flow freely and certainly no worse than the current situation.

If this assumption is wrong, then all that is required is to switch the lights back on.

I can understand the reluctance of the highway engineers to trust the individual motorist, but surely handing over responsibility to that person is in line with the Coalition Government’s policy to devolve responsibility to the lowest possible level.

P. Hornby, Oxford