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Mark the way please

Are road markings out of fashion around here?

Having lived in the Sussex area for ten years and then moving back to my home town a year ago I have been shocked to see such a lack of visible road markings and non existent cats-eyes on the heavily used A361 between the Supermarine roundabout and Highworth.

It’s highly dangerous on dark nights/mornings and in wet weather. Will Swindon Borough Council attend to this, I wonder, and how long do we have to wait?

Jenny Fry, Priory Green

Bus service lacking

While I am very appreciative of the No10 bus service from Kingsdown into town, I think it being the sole means of public transport in this part of Upper Stratton is insufficient in that it does not give a link to Lower Stratton or any access to other vital routes, which is very isolating and car dependent.

The area is badly served, having no buses through the heart of Stratton and effectively dividing it, though with thoughtful planning it could provide bus routes to South Marston/Highworth Road in one direction, the A419 in another, Lower Stratton/the hospital and M4 in another and also Beechcroft Road/Penhill and Groundwell and Cricklade Road into town.

There is no bus that travels along Ermin Street anymore, so I am cut off from Merchiston surgery, the chemist, Grange Drive community centre or a link to the number 7 bus, which only goes as far into Stratton as Grange Drive and Highworth Road, unless I take the bus into town and out again, or take the car everywhere.

This is despite the street being highly residential and having two schools, Kingsdown and St Catherine’s.

The Romans who built it saw it as a significant and direct arterial road but now it is only clogged up with cars in permanent gridlock as no one can get anywhere without having a car.

I also dread the eastern villages’ input on the transport problem and I feel it will only get worse unless more thought is given to opening up links by bus and a proper ring road.

Jean Mackeddie, Birdbrook Road

Roundabout too big

When work started on alterations to Greenbridge roundabout, I was pleased that they were going to make the island smaller to make more traffic lanes, but I was extremely disappointed when they made it larger with very little alteration to the number of lanes.

Your aerial picture showed my point that the island is much too large and wasteful and unnecessary. The roads are meant for traffic not fancy trees and lights. A smaller island with one feature would have been ideal.

Also, regarding potholes, the council are bragging about filling 6,000 last year but they are not admitting how badly they were mended. Every one around Eldene has now come open again. What happened to the hot tar we used years ago.

J Lawrence, Mundy Avenue