THE 'Rural Gateway' is indeed a misnomer; perhaps more fittingly described as a 'Country Calamity' as far as those of us living on or near the village end of Anderton Lane are concerned.
The effect of the county inspired eyesore has been to render the 30mph section of Anderton Lane exceedingly dangerous at certain times of day. Walking to the village shop has become most hazardous, especially at commuter times.
Could the public representatives (who, I suspect, do not use the 'gateway' as drivers, cyclists or pedestrians) see their way to providing safe pedestrian access to the top of the lane? There is no continuous pathway on either side of the highway and so we have to step onto the road itself.
Since the back route to Horrabridge was in effect blocked, the traffic has so increased in intensity and speed as to make this practice life-threatening. The crossroads itself was difficult to negotiate before this so-called improvement, now it is worse than ever.
If any attempt is made at assessing the situation, then the 'knock-on' effect on Anderton Lane should be examined. A good starting point would be a traffic survey in the stretch of road allegedly within the 30mph speed limit.
Roy Nicholls
2 James Road, Whitchurch
I AM fully in favour of retaining the Whitchurch Rural Gateway. If it can be demonstrated that the volume of traffic on Whitchurch Road has decreased, then the gateway is serving its primary purpose. I for one am pleased to note that very few commercial vehicles use it.
The council should now invest the money to make the gateway permanent, improving it as necessary and landscaping it appropriately. However, no amount of traffic restrictions will alter the fact that some side-roads and properties have less than ideal visibility for accessing onto Whitchurch Road. This could only be exacerbated by the removal of the gateway.
Ann L Keelan
140 Whitchurch Road, Tavistock