I ASSUME Cllr Hill (Fight is on for a new road, Times, February 14) doesn't enter Okehampton via Exeter Road very often.
She says that 'Some mornings the traffic through town is backed up to the Exeter Road Industrial Estate'.
I travel into Okehampton from South Zeal every work day at times varying between 7.30am and 11am and have only ever seen the traffic backed up to the industrial estate when the road works were happening in the town centre.
Now they are over (sort of . . . ) the furthest the traffic backs up is to Giblands and then only during the peak rush hour between 8.30am and 8.45am.
Even when there is a tail-back it really doesn't take that long to get through, especially compared to Exeter or any other large town or city.
I know car driver friendly statements are populist, but please, Cllr Hill, at least do your own research and don't rely on the exaggerations of the irate car drivers who've been speaking to you.
More power to the elbow of Stephan Gill; at least his assessment of the situation is based on studying the various options in detail.
And at a time when so many care and preventative services are being cut back is it really worth spending good money chasing up blind alleys?
Think how much could be done to expand shuttle bus services in town with the sums required to build a new road.
I am also slightly puzzled as to where this new road will go exactly, and how it will make any difference when it will, at some point, have to merge with one of the existing roads into the town centre.
More cars are not the answer. Just make it convenient and cheap to get the bus and many more people will use it — especially if someone actually asks the non bus using public what times they would like to see buses running, rather than programming in unwanted times with connections that never happen.
Dave Goodwin
38 Hillfield
South Zeal