The problem of traffic congestion at Saltaire roundabout has often been highlighted in this newspaper and there is no doubt that something has to be done to tackle one of the district’s major bottlenecks.

However, any suggestions to alleviate the problem must be realistic, especially in this economic climate.

There is little doubt, for example, that grandiose schemes such as a tunnel carrying through traffic under Saltaire, with a price tag of well over £100m, are unlikely to happen any time soon.

However, the authorities still have a not-inconsiderable sum to spend on this most pressing of problems and have now put forward proposals for public consultation.

Even a quick glance at the artist’s impressions reveals that the area would dramatically change if they went ahead.

The biggest difference, of course, would be the absence of the roundabout, which is no bad thing.

Relying on the volume of vehicles on the incoming roads and drivers behaving properly to regulate traffic flow has just not worked here.

Traffic lights, on the other hand, would bring a degree of control to proceedings and could be varied depending on the time of day.

However, while these proposals may well improve a bad situation, they cannot change the fundamental fact that too many vehicles are channelled in into an area which is too small to cope.