In response to Mrs Jones' letter regarding parking spaces, I would like to clarify some of the points she raises in her letter about traffic calming along the Evesham Road.

Does she live along the Evesham Road? I do, and I have a parking space to the left of my drive and one immediately opposite my house.

And as Mrs Jones states, they have been here for three years and caused nothing but havoc since they were installed.

While I whole heartedly agree the speed of the traffic MUST be reduced, I am not convinced the council have chosen the right method.

Every week I see impatient drivers perform dangerous and illegal manoeuvres, such as mounting the pavement and using it as a road to bypass all the traffic sitting at a standstill, open windows with disgruntled drivers swearing, shouting and gesticulating at each other.

At NUMEROUS times of the day, and not only during the week, the traffic comes to a complete standstill outside my house with tempers fraying and no respect paid to parked vehicles.

Several of our visitors' cars, and both of my cars, have had their wing mirrors ripped off.

I ask is it not possible to make indented parking spaces where the pavement is at present, then install speed cameras along the length of the road through Astwood Bank just as has been done along the Studley to Alcester road.

Have we been given the cheaper and more dangerous option along the Evesham Road? I agree, why should we make it easier for passing traffic, but why should life be made MORE hazardous for those of us who live along the road.

I have even had occasions when I can't manoeuvre into my own drive because the road has been gridlocked.

As someone who views the traffic along this road every day, I certainly don't feel the parking spaces are the best way of dealing with the speeding traffic.

We have endured it for three years and my personal opinion is that the road is now far more dangerous than it was prior to parking spaces being installed and a review of the situation would be warmly welcomed.

In a perfect world we would rather not have the through traffic but unfortunately that is here to stay, so we need to focus our attention on making the road a safer place for the inhabitants of Astwood Bank, the drivers who use Evesham Road and lastly the pedestrians.

For me that would be working speed cameras, as I am sure a high percentage of the traffic uses the road regularly and with fines dropping through their letter boxes it would make them view the road differently.

Mrs Sullivan

Astwood Bank