LAST week's letter from Councillor Peers glosses over some of the realities of the county council proposal to install a drastic traffic-calming scheme on the west side of Bewdley.

Most people who live in this area believe there is no logic whatsoever in spending £250,000 of taxpayers' money installing 63 road humps or similar devices to deal with the so-called traffic problems of a relatively quiet area.

So many road humps, cushions and junction platforms in a confined area will impose universal misery on residents and is totally disproportionate to the scale of speeding by a handful of irresponsible motorists.

Even Councillor Peers admits "the scheme shows a large degree of over provision" which he blames on Whitehall's rules for getting Government funding.

He further points out that the county council would not fund any measures from its own resources which illustrates that speeding in the area is not on a scale that would justify its own expenditure.

So the residents are faced with a scheme which is excessively large, for a problem which is not a spending priority, which has been hurriedly put together without proper consultation with local people, all because of a drive to get hold of Government funds.

No wonder residents have greeted the proposals with disbelief and shopkeepers are concerned about the impact on trade.

There are many highly effective alternative measures for slowing down the speed of traffic and these should be considered before wasting £250,000 on such an intrusive scheme.

In the face of the admission from Councillor Peers that the scheme is too large and not a county council priority, can we assume that commonsense will prevail and it will be withdrawn?

Or is this yet another case of politicians and civil servants who know best for us all?

MICHAEL HARDIMAN

Park Lane, Bewdley