THE Sainsbury's roundabout saga does not appear to be turning out quite as the county council planned.

There is no dispute among users of the roundabout that the changes made have introduced more hazards to what previously was a busy but free-flowing intersection.

We now have:

a) Slow moving traffic queues causing more minor bumps.

b) Contradictory lane markings causing drivers to risk collision as new users make unplanned lane changes.

c) Long queues of stationary traffic producing much more atmospheric pollution per mile than they were when the traffic flowed freely.

You reported the council's senior project engineer had said it will take a while for Redditch residents to acclimatise to the new 'system'. That statement speaks volumes for the council's attitude to taxpayers.

For me, the essence of good planning is that facilities are attractive and easy to use from the outset without needing a period of acclimatisation and that they treat the environment in a sensitive way. The revisions to the Sainsbury's roundabout fail on each of these standards.

Before the council starts attacking the Oakenshaw roundabout with ill-considered lane markings, I would like to direct their attention to a hazard created by cross-hatching to which regular users have become 'acclimatised' but at the expense of elementary road safety.

The eastbound exit from the Bromsgrove Highway to Windmill Lane is two lanes which are narrowed down by cross-hatching to a single lane at the Windmill Lane end.

Unfortunately, the cross-hatching (which is bounded by a solid line and therefore a no-go area) forces traffic into a position where the driver of anything lower than a 4x4 has their view of oncoming traffic completely obstructed by a bridge parapet and safety fence.

The cross-hatching could be used to direct the traffic to a safer position 10ft further left, where all drivers have much better sightlines.

Ironically, in my seven years as a Redditch resident and an infrequent user of this junction, I have seen more collisions at the Windmill Lane junction than in the vicinity of the Sainsbury's roundabout, which I use on a daily basis.

MIKE HARVEY

Woodbury Close

Callow Hill