How typical of the Highways Agency to make a half-hearted apology for the mess they made of the A49 closure and diversions and again how typical that they should shift some of the blame onto work being carried out by Welsh Water (Highways under fire for gridlock after accident, August 26).

As usual, they miss the point - the road need not have been closed in the first place!

Nor, indeed, should the residents of Richards Castle and Overton have literally been imprisoned in their homes by sheer weight of diverted traffic.

Having read the excellent coverage of the whole debacle in The Advertiser, I felt it appropriate to review publicly the actions taken by Richards Castle Parish Council and the inaction of the Highways Agency concerning safety at this notorious junction.

In 1991 the Department of Transport stated that the junction had poor layout, poor visibility, no safe overtaking and increasing traffic volumes.

Fast forward to 2000 when the accident record at the junction, Skew Bridge and Brimfield included several fatalities, serious injuries and many accidents. In a bid to get some action, this council hosted a public meeting in January 2001.

The Highways Agency attended as did a very large audience.

Our presentation centred on traffic speed (60 mph limit), driver workload (seven significant hazards in the junction area), confusion (due to inadequate signage and illogical junction layout) and driver frustration (limited passing opportunities for several miles).

We contended (and still do) that a traffic roundabout is the only solution to the complexity of the junction.

In addition, but more immediately, we felt that a 40 mph limit should be imposed from Skew Bridge to Brimfield and that double white centre lines should prohibit overtaking in the junction area.

The agency "lost" our submission, which we made again to the route management strategy team in 2002. The route management strategy report should have been ready last year - it still hasn't been completed or publicised.

Following the rebuilding of Skew Bridge in 2002 we advised the agency that southbound traffic was likely to be delivered into this hazardous junction at much higher speeds than was previously possible. The agency disagreed.

Our request for white lines has been ignored - allowing mentally challenged drivers to overtake in the 170m descent from Skew Bridge into a blind bend.

The Agency considers Woofferton to (now) be a safe junction as it does not count accidents at Skew Bridge or Brimfield in the same statistical cluster!

The Highways Agency is not just out of touch - it is fast becoming criminally inept.

Its attitude, and that of its "part-time" Minister of Transport Alistair Darling, has become one of accident reaction instead of accident prevention.

In other words, we have to wait for a tragic accident of immense proportions before anything will be done.

Unless of course your readers wish to ring Mr Denis Wheeler, route sponsor, Highways Agency, on his direct line, 0121 678 8126, to add their concerns to ours.

PETER W CORFIELD,

chairman,

Richards Castle (Shropshire) Parish Council