Road system has failed to last the pace

LIONEL Thatcher asks in his letter, Hunts Post, August 9, whether average speed cameras are likely to cut back on tailgating by heavy goods vehicles. Indeed, he writes that in his opinion the solution to tailgaiting is for the exclusion of heavy goods veh

LIONEL Thatcher asks in his letter, Hunts Post, August 9, whether average speed cameras are likely to cut back on tailgating by heavy goods vehicles.

Indeed, he writes that in his opinion the solution to tailgaiting is for the exclusion of heavy goods vehicles from the outside lane at peak periods.

I always believed that tailgaiting was to leave insufficient room between vehicles for overtaking traffic to use and which is also a punishable offence. However, the suggestion that haulage vehicles be excluded from the outside lane leaving it clear for private cars is wholly selfish.

Bear in mind that the cost of operating a goods vehicle, tax, insurance, fuel costs and driver's salary, will reach hundreds and hundreds of pounds in comparison to that of a private car owner.

We must also accept that to place restrictions on the haulage industry would obviously affect the well being of the nation in so far as it supplies industry and our export market.

With the impending fuel crisis, the haulage industry is one industry we should leave well alone.

Surely the fault does not lie wholly with the lorry drivers of this country, or indeed with our car drivers.

Our roads are no longer suitable for the changing size and speed of the nation's vehicles. All motorways should have at least three lanes and then commercial vehicles would be banned from the outside lane automatically because of current speed restrictions.

Personally, I would rather see more police patrols replace the cameras.

We are told that the cameras are there to control the speed of vehicles and not to raise thousands and thousands of pounds of income, and if that is the case, why is the operating range of the cameras alternated before and after the road graduations?

Having travelled extensively in America, France and Germany, it is glaringly obvious our road structure does reflect the huge change in the size, speed and volume of our traffic in a country that no longer uses its railways to move enough freight.

To an alien viewing our country from space, he must think that the human beings are a quaint and finicky race when he observes all of our traffic bumps, diversions, islands and speed signs, now that councils have jumped on the band wagon.

Instead of always catching the everyday motorist, why don't the councils catch the people who never pay road tax, have MOTs or car insurance, then we can all work together.

Royston Davey

Wood End

Bluntisham