I THANK Cllr Stephen Peters for taking such an interest in county council highways matters (ref last week's Your View).

While the Audit Commission said the county council was a good highways authority with good prospects for improvement, we will only get better if we listen to the comments of those who use our roads.

However, there are a number of issues raised by Cllr Peters that I would like to clear up.

The work on the A38 at Slideslow island was designed to reduce accidents, not ease congestion. The scheme was designed in full consultation with residents. There may be slight disruption to traffic flows as the work progresses and in the period immediately following its completion as there are changes to the norm, but this will fade away.

Work on safety changes to the A491 was a complicated scheme developed over a number of years including the need to hold a public enquiry. The gap closures, traffic lights and lane reductions have had a dramatic effect in preventing the many fatal and serious accidents that used to occur on there.

Cllr Peters makes a number of recommendations for the M42 junction at Lickey End. Most councillors know the county council is not responsible motorway junctions, they belong to the Highways Agency. Was Cllr Peters aware of this?

He is more than welcome to feed his ideas into the district's Highways Partnership Forum through his district council colleagues, but before he does, I would like him to consider one last point.

The county council is committed to reducing road accidents throughout the

county, so a safe passage for motorists will always take precedence over a quicker passage. That is always our over-riding concern.

Councillor John Smith

Cabinet Member for Environment

Worcestershire County Council