SIR,

Some 15 or more years ago, Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) made major improvements to the access to Osbaston Road off Hereford Road.

It is therefore a shame that MCC have now chosen to downgrade the access.

The latest roadworks and installation of the pedestrian crossing have made it significantly more difficult for vehicles to use the junction.

Large vehicles entering Osbaston Road must now cross to the wrong side of the road.

I hope that long coaches will be able to use the junction without needing to mount the pavement. The Highways Department has advised me that part of the reasoning behind the roadworks is to provide a pedestrian crossing for children walking from Osbaston to the comprehensive school.

I am astonished that MCC would encourage school children to use a non-controlled crossing at a busy junction in favour of using the existing controlled crossing at the traffic lights.

I suspect that too little thought has been given to the implications of the roadworks.

Graham Boulton

(Osbaston)