I FIND it unbelievable that once again the Low Road in Fenstanton is to be closed for a lengthy period. Surely the bridge work could have been done when the road was closed to build the flood defences. Unfortunately, we seem to live in an age that is run

I FIND it unbelievable that once again the Low Road in Fenstanton is to be closed for a lengthy period. Surely the bridge work could have been done when the road was closed to build the flood defences.

Unfortunately, we seem to live in an age that is run by councillors and council officials who have no local knowledge, do not believe in liaising with other departments about work that could be done at the same time, and could not care less about the disruption lengthy works such as this will cause.

I use public transport to get to work in Cambridge, and the knock-on effect caused by vehicles queuing to get on and off the A14 will mean that I will again be late for work most mornings and very late home at night.

There is also a safety issue because vehicles actually have to queue on the A14 itself westbound because the slip road is not long enough for lots of vehicles.

As to the businesses in Fenstanton, they must feel like giving up completely.

It is about time that the people who make these decisions used public transport for a week or so to find out exactly what we the "little people" have to go through just to get to work to earn a living. What a bunch of cowboys.

Mrs MARY P HODGE, Tennyson Avenue, St Ives

* Editor's note: If the work on the White Bridge had been carried out at the same time as the flood defences were constructed, access to several homes and businesses between the two sites would have been completely denied for four months, other than on foot or by bicycle.

WHO at Cambridgeshire County Council is responsible for this timetable for the Low Road, between St Ives and Fenstanton, and when are they going to leave to spend more time with their families?

* 2006/2007 - close the Low Road for four-five months for work on flood defences.

* 2008 - close the Low Road due to flooding.

* 2008 - close the Low Road from the beginning of February to early June for bridge work. Why was this work not done when the road was closed last year? We were warned early last year that this work needed doing.

* 2009 - close the Low Road due to flooding.

* 2009 - close the Low Road from January to who knows when for the repair of drains, which should have been maintained annually.

* 2010 - close the Low Road due to flooding.

When will someone realise that the county council is subjecting the residents of Fenstanton to difficulty and risk.

The only way home for them from St Ives is to queue to join the dangerous and congested A14 at St Ives, travel in the slow lane as the filling in a lorry sandwich and leave the road at the next junction. Surely this is one of the most dangerous ways of using this road.

The Low Road needs effective maintenance and management. The road closures should not be used as an excuse to fail to address the problem of Fenstanton High Street being used as a rat-run and a car park for A14 users.

P E MARSH, Cherry Tree Way, Fenstanton