IT'S so simple, so obvious, so glaringly evident that, as the saying goes, you can’t help wondering why no-one thought of it before...

But now someone has, the plaudits are theirs for the taking.

Oxfordshire County Council take a bow, because on behalf of every motorist who has ever sat numb with boredom on Botley Road, a vote of sincere thanks is the least we can offer up by way of gratitude.

The council’s decision to help eliminate – or at least dilute – this bottleneck feels like Christmas has come early.

Finally, and at long last, the junction of the A420 (Botley Road) that collides with West Way at the bottom of the B4044 (Cumnor Hill) beside McDonalds and Seacourt Tower is to be improved.

Some, like those who mourn the end of analogue TV and smoking on aeroplanes, will doubtless reminisce about how it in fact created a sense of camaraderie among road users.

But for everybody else, today’s news will feel like a pit-stop at Lourdes.

Yes, the initial roadworks may cause additional disruption, but with light at the end of the tunnel, it’ll surely be worth the wait.