MR Ian McArthur has clearly not read, let alone understood, my earlier letter. I invite him to read it again - preferably slowly but not I hope as he drives his car!

All of us are surely agreed that speed is a factor in road accidents and has been since cars first rolled onto the roads and I am not against speed control measures, nor their enforcement. I am however against the despoiling of our villages and the profligate use of gaudy paint where it is not required.

I have a lot of sympathy with other correspondents' views that the more signs and paint the less their real impact at places where extra caution is required.

A lot of money has been spent, but has it been wisely spent? Will, in the longer term, the effects of additional restrictions wear off resulting in more restrictions and introduced under the 'safety' banner - especially when police are given the power to bolster their own funds from fines? I really don't know. What I do know is that my village is threatened with roundels and already has red paint etc.

The nearby main road has had more speed restrictions and more red paint yet the most dangerous part of that stretch of road (Fladbury Cross etc)has seen too many serious accidents but the speed limit at that point is 60mph - far too high in my view.

The junction and its immediate area is poorly lit, and laid out (and has no red paint road markings). Pedestrians crossing the road often do so at great risk.

I am sure that plans exist on someone's desk for that situation to be remedied, at some time, but it says little for a prioritisation process that puts expenditure on paint before substantive improvements at notorious junctions.

The emotive reasoning that one child's life saved is worth any amount of expenditure, or the despoiling of our villages is understandable but the logical conclusion of that is that you over control and indeed try and remove all risk from living generally. Mr McArthur and I have had a lifetime of dealing with the victims of road and other accidents but I am not convinced it is necessary to ruin our villages to dissuade ;negligent or reckless driverfrom his ways.

A BOYES, Weston Orchard, Fladbury, viaemail.