SIR - Just another letter about the Southern Link Road “Developments”

As someone who commutes daily from the Kempsey area to Worcester City Centre I am forced to cross these expensive developments every day. I am not only disgusted at the expenditure to enable non-Worcester people to by-pass Worcester easier and quicker without so much as a the spending of a penny. Why, as a Worcester resident, do I care if someone leaving the M5 at Junction 6 takes almost 15 minutes to reach the A44 to Hereford. I am more concerned that a little trip into Worcester along the A38 encounters nonsense at the Ketch Island which appears to have been designed by a 14 year old (non-driver) with protractor and pair of compasses (no insult to 14 year olds intended), nice sweeping curves and aesthetically pleasing but thoroughly impractical.

With all the extra real estate surrounding the island why is it that the A38 access on both sides is utterly pathetic splitting from single lane into three about five cars lengths from the island on the Kempsey side and 10 cars on the City side. Why it is so short on the Kempsey side with all the wasted land between the road and footpath meaning a queue of five cars in any lane blocks access from the A38. Why are there not three lanes of access of a reasonable distance on both sides?

It would appear that planning has been done on the basis that everything will be fine most of each day so who cares about commuters, or every Friday from May to September when the “caravanners” come out to play or the M5 is closed?

Also from the city side why not widen the approaches to the island to accommodate three lanes of traffic, but no, that would seriously affect the prettiness of the 14 year old's curves (on the plan that is!!) and move the “Bike” crossing further toward Worcester. Pity those 2 poor cyclists!!!

A final thought is that as more houses are built on the southern side of the city and more businesses (Aldi etc) are attracted to the area this island will get busier to and from the A38 in both directions and rather than thinking about people who don't live, work or spend money in Worcester more consideration is needed for those who do.

Neil Butlin

Worcester