I TOTALLY agree with the comments of Mr Brian Sweeny (Letters, September 27) pointing out that Okehampton is becoming the pits with its unfriendly attitude to the car owner.

In the past, I have accepted that changes are made to improve both pedestrian and vehicular access, but Okehampton seems to do one change after another, month after month. Why can't someone from the powers that be sit down and thoroughly work out what is best in the long-term for everyone and Okehampton? Do it and leave alone.

When traffic jams occur, drivers tend to use rat-runs to try to get to their destinations. Round the back of St James Church used to be one of those, but that was discovered and blocked. Now Mill Road has a constant stream of traffic trying to evade the hold-ups, for that same reason, so has Castle Road.

I would like to know if anyone has done a survey of the near misses that occur on a daily basis. Let's start at George Street, when the lights turn green you can almost guarantee a vehicle will still be negotiation the corner from Fore Street, coming towards you.

From Market Street, if you are the last to cross the green/amber lights and want to go across the junction into George Street, you are taking your life into your own hands. More often than not the car in front of you or even the car in front of that will stop at the junction, look right, left and right again before proceeding in whatever direction he/she desires, leaving you to face the challenge of crossing the junction with traffic accelerating from Fore Street towards you.

Pedestrians in the town have even a worse time. At least the driver has some protection. If you don't know the sequence of the lights it's an even bigger gamble. Pelican lights may be the better alternative than islands in the middle of this battle ground.

Just one more matter I would like to gripe about and that is the excuse for a roundabout between Waitrose and Somerfield. Again I have seen many near misses. It's physically impossible to get round the roundabout from Somerfield and it's a long way from the junction. By the time you have made a move to cross this area on a busy day, other vehicles approach with menace. Because this roundabout is to one side, drivers from Market Street tend to think they have a right of way.

There, gripes out of the way. time for me to negotiate the town centre and pay the extortionate parking fees to get some shopping done.

Dave Boyce

129 Station Road

Okehampton