YES, Mrs Turner (Letters, January 4), you are a very brave woman and I salute you! You are absolutely right that the rural gateway has slowed traffic down coming into the village.

I have been keeping my head well below the parapet on the issue of the 'rural gateway', which I agree is far from perfect, but I had always understood its prime function was to help slow traffic down entering Whitchurch village from Grenofen and this has happened.

I had hoped that people would recognise the wider issue here of road safety at this end of the village and along the rest of the Whitchurch Road.

We have no footpath at all on this stretch of the road from the beginning of the village to the crossroads and traffic has, for years, been a major problem for pedestrians braving the road to go up to Whitchurch Post Office and the bus-stops and for residents trying to access driveways, garages etc.

Years ago my late husband and neighbours (all of us with young children) canvassed local councillors, police etc suggesting 'sleeping policemen' as they were then called, on the road down into the village from Grenofen, as a means of slowing down the traffic — all to no avail. Nobody appeared to care.

I seem to remember being told at the time that legislation was required to implement such work. This was at a time when the village school was still open in the village itself and children were using the crossroads.

Over the years, traffic has increased even more, especially since the new stretch of road was opened on the other side of Tavistock, leading to Abbey Bridge.

As Mrs Turner said there are alternative access road — motorists do have a choice and surely our local councillors could be encouraging them to use the main road and not suggesting 'throwing good money after bad and returning this stretch of road to its previous two-way status'.

Mrs J E Warren

Pooh Corner

Whitchurch

I WRITE in response to Commander Cook's letter in last week's paper.

As prospective Conservative candidate for the Tavistock area county council elections in May, I entirely support the completion of the inner relief road as soon as possible by extending it from Abbey Rise, via Pixon Lane to Plymouth Road.

This would incorporate improving the dangerous junction by the Market Inn, removal of the old railway bridge in Pixon Lane and ensure that all the heavy through-traffic would not need to carry out a 270-degree manoeuvre to turn right over Abbey Bridge followed by a sharp 90-degree left turn past the Post Office.

The construction of this road would also mean that the traffic would not need to

negotiate the Drake Statue roundabout and, even more importantly, would avoid the dangerous junction at Crowndale Road leading to Tavistock College. In addition, as it is a shorter route, it would also encourage people not to use the Whitchurch Road as a rat-run towards Plymouth.

As for the Whitchurch Rural Gateway itself, this was foisted on us by the Liberal Democrat-controlled county council without local consultation and in my view is a complete waste of money, which I understand cost in excess of £25,000. Not only is it a blot on the landscape, but extremely dangerous, encouraging vehicles to drive at each other head-on!

The Conservatives asked for the gateway to be reviewed before Christmas as there are more effective ways of controlling speed and improving safety along Whitchurch Road such as 20mph speed cameras by the school.

It is my objective, following consultation with all the local authorities, schools and community groups, to press for the removal of the existing gateway and the use of more cost-effective methods of reducing speed and improving safety on the Whitchurch Road, whilst at the same time lobbying for funds to enable the completion of the inner relief road as soon as possible.

John G Taylor

Prospective Conservative candidate

County council election