I wonder what visitors think when they come to our town. This is the thought I had while waiting with my wife last weekend for our coach to arrive at the pick up point outside of Debenhams by the old Menzies Hotel in Fleming Way.

This weekend we were going to see the Tall Ships Regatta at Greenwich. About five minutes before the departure time as I was looking in the direction of The Jury in at the old Whale Bridge site a white coach, our coach for the weekend was travelling up Corporation Street and then had to turn left towards the “Magic Roundabout”. My first thought was he has gone the wrong way but then realised he couldn’t turn right towards us as the new road layout wouldn’t allow him to, so the driver of the long coach had to go all the way to the Magic Roundabout to be able to come all the way back to us thus facing the right way to negotiate the junction at the Jury Inn.

Perhaps this wasn’t a good pick up point (usually bay 1 at the bus station) as we had to go all the way into town to turn right at the old Railway Museum to come all the way back along London Street to the White House bridges to turn right again into Corporation Street to get back to the Jury Inn and the Magic Roundabout to be facing the right way to travel to London. My embarrasment for the driver and fellow passengers from Stroud, Bath and Bristol continued as we travelled the length of Queens Drive where all the two mile distance to the Coate Water roundabout was covered in litter on all the grass verges.

I’m proud to be a Swindonian but I must be one of a few nowadays that care about fundamental issues like these. Planners, Councillors wake up before its to late.

Brian Phillips, Coronation Road, Wroughton