Sir,

Done apparently at the behest of Chepstow Racecourse, it seems that once again Monmouthhsire County Council (MCC) has ignored local opinion and knowledge and is proceeding with traffic works on the A466.

The claim is that it is to improve pedestrian safety from the car park to the racecourse, despite the fact that there is no record of any accidents at this point and there already exists a completely safe route via an underpass, constructed especially for this purpose.

My understanding, based on comments by MCC officers, is that the racecourse fear that if punters are made to use the underpass they will stop coming to the races.

Apart from the racecoure, I am not aware of support for this scheme from any other quarter.

Costing more than £200,000 of taxpayers money, this misbegotten scheme also urbanises previously unspoilt space in this approach to the AONB.

I am sure most readers could suggest more worthy places for this money to be spent, not least the residents of St Arvans who, despite many years of trying, have yet to see any  positive and practical moves to address the problems of traffic speeding through the village.

Well done MCC.

Tony Newman

(St Arvans)