THE air festival, as reported, was a massive success, bringing hundreds of thousands into Bournemouth from all parts of the country.

And yes, there was traffic chaos, and it is not going to get any better with predicted house building in the south.

Many comments have been made about the existing road infrastructure being no longer fit for purpose. I agree.

All this was highlighted in many past reports, none more so than in 1991 by the east-west corridor transportation study.

This shows how ill-advised was the senseless slaughter and sabotage in the 1960s of the many branch lines in Dorset and Hampshire.

We all know many of these lines served then small villages, now large growing conurbations, such as Wimborne, Ringwood, West Moors, Ashley Heath on to Brockenhurst, then the Somerset and Dorset line, with trains from Bournemouth West to all stations north.

Bournemouth West station was demolished in the 1970s for construction of the Wessex Way.

All the arguments were well presented in the final book on the last rides on the Somerset and Dorset, by Jeffrey Grayer in 2006.

Unfortunately, governments of both parties had little, if any, vision. Road transport was king, only for so many towns and villages up and down the country to become discounted from easy rail access. Beeching had no vision when one reads his report on reshaping of British Railways. Which leaves us all with today’s traffic chaos.

CLLR RON WHITTAKER Throop and Muscliff ward