I COULD not let the letter from Mr Clifford regarding Bordesley (Advertiser, December 19) pass without comment.

Firstly, the Alvechurch bypass, of which we maintain the Bordesley section is an integral component, was first proposed some 40 years ago and was partially completed in 1993.

For whatever reason, the promised section from Cobbs Barn to Redditch was not built and we now have the worst of all worlds, with some 25,000 vehicle movements daily.

This is practically of motorway proportions and certainly vastly more than the safe capacity of the road.

The traffic lights at Bordesley Corner were introduced to assist residents of Dagnell End and Hither Green Lane who were placed in an impossible situation by the huge increase in traffic flow along the main road.

I am no stranger to commuting, having travelled to Birmingham and Rugby over some 40 years.

It can be very frustrating but local residents are generally not the ones to blame for congestion.

Finally, I note Mr Clifford's comments regarding the loss of countryside should the bypass be completed.

For the record, the recommended "blue" route for the Bordesley section is estimated to occupy 10 hectares.

According to figures produced for the 1993 inquiry, the amount of land allocated for housing in the hitherto picturesque Brockhill area totalled 82 hectares!

Ian Hayes

Birmingham Road