I WRITE regarding the letter about traffic turning right out of Drove Road into Cumberland Road.

Surely it is right and proper that the couple of dozen vehicles a week that turn right at this junction have a lane to themselves, while the several thousand a day that turn left or go on towards the Magic Roundabout have to make do with the other lane.

Oops, sorry, I was thinking like a council planner.

While highlighting the glaring mismanagement of Swindon council, let's also look at the recently installed traffic lights at the junction of Princess Street and Groundwell Road, and also at Devizes Road and Newport Street.

For my sins, I drive a taxi around Swindon. While nobody could deny that there were traffic problems at these junctions during peak times, Swindon Council has now ensured that these problems last all day just look at the traffic backed up in Newport Street at any time of the day.

What about the traffic lights and pedestrian crossing on Queens Drive at its junction with Frobisher Drive? I have lost count of the times that I have been sitting behind another vehicle when the pedestrian crossing signal has changed to green and the vehicle in front of me has driven off against a red traffic light.

Let us now move on to Swindon's wonderful bus lanes.

Taxis are not allowed to use them. No, sorry, four and five seater taxis are not allowed to use them. Anything over five seats and you are okay. This also includes eight-seat vehicles which belong to the various staff agencies around Swindon, which provide no service whatsoever to the travelling public.

Imagine how frustrating it is sat in the traffic with a passenger desperate to catch a train and watch these empty staff agency vehicles go flying down the bus lane.

Let's move onto the laughable traffic tables in Gorse Hill. According to Swindon Council they should have been gone by the end of April.

D A GRIMWOOD

Charfield Close

Swindon