IT IS a matter of some urgency that the pattern of enhancement of Okehampton is halted at once.

The tombstones outside St James' Church seem to be designed primarily to deter the post-5pm boys rather than to claim any artistic merit. The imagery of pigs running about does not seem to have any connection with the life of the town — at least I hope it has not.

At any moment I expect to run into the discredited pile of stones on the footpath intended to represent Dartmoor. The whole exercise is like arranging irrelevant bric-a-brac on the mantelpiece.

A more worth-while enhancement would be a line of trees down the middle of Fore Street. These would be contained in rectangular concrete boxes measuring some two feet wide by one yard long, by two feet high (to use robust British measurements).

In position, this would mean only 12 inches or 30cms off each carriageway. Those privileged to drive through the town would have to take just that little extra care.

The boxes would have cast feet to enable them to be lifted into position by a palette-carrying tractor. The boxes would already contain a fair young tree with a clear trunk of about six feet, so that with the height of the box, foliage would not be springing below some eight feet from the ground, enough to allow the passage of the average van, without inconvenience.

The genus of trees would have to be decided, as to how they would grow, or how they were trimmed.

It would be better if the boxes were joined by a matching width of pavement which would create a refuge along the length of the site and make it less hazardous for those who have to make a 'dodge' crossing across the not inconsiderable width of Fore Street, a problem our distant town planners were unable to attend to.

It is not difficult to predict that the officers of the Ministry of Transport would object, as their bias is towards the convenience of traffic rather than to people on their feet or the environment.

What a gift it would be! The freshness of nature among the stale sticks and stones of the buildings. By magic alchemy, some traffic fumes at least, made harmless among the leaves instead of distressing our noses and lungs.

G Cook

9 Lyndridge Court

Okehampton

IN the Okehampton Times last week two readers in letters decry the recent obstruction of the Market Street traffic lights, reducing two traffic lanes to one.

Turning over the page further into the paper, we see that Devon County Council are inviting the views of the public and they quote telephone numbers where the views can be expressed. I have added my objection to this piece of enhancement.

Your article by Alison Stephenson states that the removal of the two lanes was designed to make it safer for vehicles turning left, which because of their size would pull up astride two lanes. The majority of the vehicles at the lights would be cars or vans, and to inconvenience these drivers for a few larger vehicles is surely not on.

There is a further reason why the two lanes should remain. At times there is congestion in Fore Street, with the result that traffic for Fore Street cannot proceed even if the lights are green, but cars could turn left into Market Street. Greater congestion is caused in West Street and New Road if the left hand lane is no longer available.

Geoffrey Gill

East Cleave

Sourton

OKEHAMPTON's traffic gridlock reflects monumental discredit on our local and county 'planners' and their half-baked notions for 'improving' this benighted town. Putty medals all round!

Things can hardly get worse, but the betting is they will!

Archie Cameron Brown

The Laurels, Belmont Road

Exeter

I NEVER thought I'd see the day when David Bagshall and I agreed on anything to do with traffic in Okehampton Town Centre (Letters, August 2).

We are certainly on the same wavelength over the crazy reduction of two lanes to one outside Lloyds TSB, but then he bangs on again about the 'inefficiency' of the traffic light sequencing.

I took issue with him before and I do so again; at present everyone can see exactly where the sequence is and pedestrians and wheelchair users, children and mothers with prams can cross all the roads with safety, even town hall corner.

His daft assertion that 'during any one hour each way has a maximum time of just 15 minutes movement (ten to 12 minutes in practice)' would only be correct if each road was only released once during that hour instead of every few minutes as happens now.

I repeat, no one waits for very long, if you doubt me just time it; although I do concede, David, that if the West Street trial is adopted I shall keep out of your way when you eventually reach the town!

Zoë Bradshaw

March Court Cottage

East Street

Okehampton