The mammoth traffic jam into Brighton after the London to Brighton bike ride was so long partly because Ditchling Road was closed to cyclists.

However, the fact remains, there are tailbacks every weekend at Patcham on the A23 into the city and this has not been helped by the introduction of bus lanes, which reduce traffic to single line.

How foolhardy, therefore, for the Highways Department to even consider closing part of the Carden Avenue feeder road at the Hollingbury roundabout for eight hours on Brighton and Hove Albion football match days to become a football park-and-ride area.

Parking for 200 cars will have minimal impact on the football traffic but the impact of displacing the rest of the traffic on to other roads will be enormous.

This closed section will divert all traffic to and from the A27 through Crowhurst Road and result in jams similar to the bike ride ones.

Carden Avenue also relieves Crowhurst Road. Weekends are the main trading period for Asda, which has its only entrance and exit on this road.

Other nearby stores - Argos, Matalan and MFI -also generate lots of weekend traffic.

There should be a trial run on some Saturdays when there isn't a football match, before this closure comes into effect.

If this is not done then it is possible Sunday's gridlock could be repeated at Hollingbury and also at the A23 junctions, with major implications for this trading and residential area.

-E Young (Mrs), Brighton