The crossroads at Greengates, carrying traffic between the Aire Valley towns and Leeds and between Bradford and Yeadon and Harrogate, is a notorious bottleneck for motorists and an alarming hazard for pedestrians, for whom there is currently no crossing provision.

If, as some residents claim, people have had to catch two buses merely to get across the busy road the situation is obviously well overdue for a review to help vehicles flow more freely and enable people on foot to cross safely.

The Council is doing the right thing by asking for the opinions of local residents on three options being considered, all of which include "green-man" crossings near the junction. However, the exercise seems to have hit a snag at an early stage with opposition being voiced about the possible removal of the Cenotaph from its site at the junction to a grassed area 100 yards away in Leeds Road.

It is understandable that people are suspicious of change because too often it seems to be for the worse. However, the Cenotaph was sited where it is in different times. If it was moved it would not be as close to the heart of Greengates but it would be away from the worst rumble of modern-day traffic, making it easier for those who want to remember lost loved ones to do so in a more contemplative atmosphere. And the suggested location, close to the residential development for elderly people at Kipling Court, would also seem to be quite fitting.

In fact, it is just possible that this might, on balance, turn out to be a rare change for the better.