SO the traffic trial of a single lane at West Street is to remain although it is blindingly obvious that it will cause extra long traffic queues. This however is only the latest of a long list of dubious 'enhancements' that have been inflicted upon Okehampton. Some of the others include:
l Building a supermarket on a wonderful car, coach and lorry park.
l Not having a coach park for over one year
l Inappropriate crazy paving around St James Church
l Ornamental pigs in an area with virtually no pig farming
l Inefficient traffic lights that routinely cause queues back to the car park.
l A new toilet block that looks like, well a toilet block
l A taxi rank the taxis do not want to use
l A kerb realigned last year near St James Church that has just been realigned again.
l A recent and unfinished pedestrian island in West Street now demolished
l Thirty minutes waiting outside the flats in West Bridge Street which is too short a time to visit anybody
l A cycle lane going the wrong direction up a one-way road
Although there is a pretence of wanting to hear views, it is clear this is just for the record and they are completely ignored. We can now also look forward to extensive 20mph speed limits, including numerous ugly and unnecessary road signs, along Fore Street etc. You have already been told about these, in case you did not know, but do not bother to write and offer your views it is a complete and total waste of time.
Can they please spare us any more dubious 'enhancements' at least until the next millennium it would be much appreciated.
David Bagshall
Grindhill
Okehampton