Mr Smith (letters, October 30) fails to understand the logic behind the recent white-line shading introduced on the eastern side of the A361 at Cannings Hill, following the resurfacing work in October. The dual carriageway section on Cannings Hill is there to provide a crawler lane up the hill, especially for slow HGVs leaving Hopton Industrial Estate and joining the A361 towards Marlborough and Swindon. Slower-moving traffic can join or move to the left-hand lane, allowing faster vehicles to overtake. However, once over the hill the emphasis is then upon protecting those taking the right-hand turn to Bishops Cannings and not about giving drivers a few extra feet to zoom past slower traffic.

This right-hand turn is used every morning by parents taking their children to school in Bishops Cannings and who often have to wait for a gap in oncoming traffic on the right-hand side of a 60mph road before being able to complete the turn. The right-hand turn is not obvious and this spot has been identified as being dangerous. In addition, not all drivers remember to indicate, warning drivers behind of their intended action. The thought of a speeding car going into the rear of a car full of children waiting to turn right makes me entirely happy that we have put their safety before giving drivers a chance to do a bit more overtaking. All work commissioned by Wiltshire Council is designed; the work is carried out; and then it is examined for quality and safety. This completed work will be examined and any area that is unsatisfactory will be done again at no additional cost.

It would have been good to hear positive comments when we introduce safe pedestrian crossings, or resurface a stretch of road that badly needed it, and the fact that we resurfaced it at night to prevent delays during peak times to users such as Mr Smith.

Philip Whitehead, Portfolio holder for highways, Wiltshire Council.