THANK goodness the county council is taking action to relieve Westbury of traffic. But why on earth have they shelved the plan for the Yarnbrook-West Ashton link to the Westbury scheme?

That's where traffic flows and accident rates are highest. It doesn't make sense.

The Westbury bypass and the Yarnbrook-West Ashton link are integral. WCC stated the economic and environmental case in 2001 when a funding bid was made to the Government.

The report said that if nothing was done about the A350 through Yarnbrook and West Ashton it "would leave a weak link in a Westbury bypass" and "the results indicate sizeable net benefits for the West Ashton extension in terms of improved traffic flows and accidents".

The A350 is designated as a major route from the motorway network to the south coast. Residential and commercial development on the fringes of Westbury and Trowbridge swiftly continue.

24,000 vehicles a day (with a large proportion of them HGVs) will continue to thunder through our village on a road that is barely 23ft wide.

Our houses will continue to shudder and our children will continue to dodge traffic as they walk to school.

You don't open your windows if you live on the A350 the noise and the traffic fumes put a stop to that.

We all know that the A350 from north of West Ashton crossroads to south of the Yarnbrook roundabout has been a death trap for years. The chances of being killed or injured on this short stretch of the A350 are higher than any other.

A Semington-Melksham relief road and a Westbury by-pass without the Yarnbrook-West Ashton link is spoiling the ship for a hap'orth of tar. It's a bad deal for those of us who must endure living along the A350 and for those who have to travel along it.

The county council talks about the possibility of submitting a separate bid at a later date as some of our older residents will tell you that's been the cry since the 1920s!! Please county council don't delay any longer.

P HUME

West Ashton A350 Action Group

West Ashton

Trowbridge.