I RESPOND to the letter from your reader Brian Bone and the ongoing debate concerning Bromsgrove's roads and traffic management.

I despair of the County Council Highways Partnership, who seem unable to do anything right the first time. Remember the fiasco on the A491 and the mini-roundabout at Fairfield, and the three attempts to construct a new junction in Hollywood?

Or the lane markings at Wythall roundabout which few people seem able to comprehend?

Now I see that the old section of the Birmingham Road is being reduced in width with a futile scheme wasting money while the M5 junction at Lydiate Ash continues to create congestion.

Why was the old A38 not re-opened to take southbound traffic away from the junction?

The 'improvements' at Slideslow island will do nothing to ease traffic flows or help the residents of The Oakalls to leave from their exile. The road markings are confusing and will be useless when covered by waiting vehicles.

Traffic heading north is permitted in two lanes, but has to merge immediately after negotiating the island.

I also pity the new residents of Breme Park who have chosen to live on an industrial estate with poor road connections.

Stand by for their complaints in the near future.

What Bromsgrove needs is a well-thought out traffic plan including the diversion of through traffic to Kidderminster via a new inner by-pass along Windsor Street and out to Hanover Street, thus keeping Market Street and Stourbridge Road junctions free.

And when will the Highways Partnership alter the road markings at Stourbridge Road to allow through traffic to use the left hand lane instead of having to wait behind vehicles turning into Stourbridge Road?

So simple to remedy, but seemingly impossible to implement.

I think Mr Bone has it right when he says that the philosophy is one of dumbing down the road system to cater for the least able motorists. Witness the appalling waste of road infrastructure along the A491 now that lanes have been narrowed.

And why not build slip roads on to the M42 at Junction 1 to ease congestion along the A38 caused by traffic wishing to join the motorway system to travel south?

I have so many ideas on how to improve Bromsgrove's roads and the environment of the constituency, but more of that in a few week's time.Watch this space!

Councillor Stephen Peters