Flyover would be a ‘concrete monstrosity’

THE idea that a flyover should be built at Whiddon Down on the A30 (Okehampton Times, February 8) is pure fantasy and quite mad.

When will some of our planners, in this case the South West Regional Transport Group, learn that we cannot build our way out of dangerous driving (or traffic congestion)? It is not roads that cause crashes but the inappropriate speed and lack of attentiveness of drivers.

It's very doubtful that the crashes at the Whiddon Down Merrymeet roundabout are caused by those driving non-stop from Glasgow as your report suggests. As with so much speeding it is more often than not local drivers too familiar with the road who drive too fast.

In any event a new flyover would surely never pass an EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment).

It is true that perhaps the Highways Agency could do more to warn the speeding driver that there is a roundabout ahead: speed cameras work wonders and would be infinitely cheaper and far less environmentally damaging than another concrete monstrosity.

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