IN YESTERDAY’S Oxford Mail, councillor Hudspeth stressed the council was working hard to remedy the congestion with major ongoing roadworks and assumes, when all the so-called improvements are completed, business and commuters will “really see the difference”.

Another spokesman said Oxford County Council has been improving the county’s major routes such as the ring road, Headington roundabout, Heyford Hill, Kennington, Hinksey Hill and now Wolvercote and Cuttleslowe.

He went on to add that the council has to curb traffic growth via the Transport plan for mass transit, walking and cycling.

I think Oxford county councillors need to get an urgent GP appointment for a reality check.

No doubt a large number of councillors are cyclists or walkers and loathe drivers with a passion, but the majority of the working population in UK drive cars and lorries and vans for business, work and pleasure as a necessity; public transport (trains and buses) seeing little improvement in quality, care, seating and time keeping.

There is no real improvement in easing traffic congestion and with all of the above roadworks the traffic congestion will worsen for the following reasons:

a) The design of Cuttleslowe and Wolvercote roundabouts are not fit for purpose and I see no way traffic flow will improve when all they have done is reduce the diameter of the roundabout and added a lane.

What would have been fit for purpose and ease congestion would have been to remove the roundabouts and construct two flyovers to replace them, which would have allowed traffic to flow continuously along the A40

b) At the Headington roundabout A40/A4142/A420 junction again a flyover is the only logical solution to ease traffic flow.

c) The A34 is the only major dual carriageway linking the Midlands and Oxfordshire with the southern ports and major motorway links such as the M4/M3/M40. Since travelling the route over the last 40 years there has been no change or improvement to most of the carriageway length.

In view of its importance and strategic necessity for business, haulage and private cars the A34 should be urgently upgraded to a motorway, e.g. M34, linking up with the M40 in the Midlands.

C HEWETSON
The Ridings, Kidlington