To the editor:

Back in March, I sent in a letter stating that $154 million on changing Highway 305 and the Agate Pass bridge to four lanes would not decrease traffic problems on Bainbridge. I had an experience a couple of weeks ago which totally proved my point.

I drove to Poulsbo for a 6 p.m. meeting at the public library. It took me almost an hour to get there. That is bad traffic. Traffic was backed up from the casino to halfway between the light near Madison Avenue South and Day Road. From that point it was a crawl, stop and go, until after the light at the casino. Then I could drive the posted speed limits.

It surprises me that consultants suggesting highway widening apparently did not drive the route or study the traffic. It is clear that the three bottlenecks at the worst traffic of the day are at the intersection at the north end of Sportsman Club Road, Day Road and the light at the casino.

People more clever than I know how to synchronize lights to reduce such problems. If any construction is done it would have to be interchanges at the three above lights, allowing continuous left-hand turns in any direction. Then the lights could be removed.

At any rate, such fixes are only temporary. Long term, we need to tackle overpopulation and substitute buses for cars. Next time I want to go to Poulsbo in the early evening I will figure out how to take a 90 bus to Poulsbo and take along a bike for the rest of the trip.

STEPHEN A. DOUGLASS

Bainbridge Island