I think a round of applause must be due to the Highways Authority for coming up with such a devilish new road layout in Chippenham, along a short section of the London Road towards Calne.

Don't get me wrong, I do understand it's important motorists don't drive excessively fast, particularly where there are children walking to and from school.

Unfortunately what we now have is a dangerous and confusing slalom, whereby every so often the pavement has been built out into the road, so the driver is forced to swerve his or her way along.

Previously we had a nice straight piece of road, without any complications, so there was no excuse for not keeping an eye out for the Abbeyfield schoolchildren.

My worry is that now motorists will be distracted, trying to remember whether it's the small red arrows pointing away and white ones facing towards the driver on a blue background which mean they have priority, or red and blue arrows on a white background.

If drivers do become confused, children wearing black uniforms on a dark morning or evening may well get caught in the crossfire, with horrific consequence.

There's certainly not enough time to absorb the sign and read what is written underneath.

Even when the motorist has worked out that it's not their turn to be "king of the road," they are then faced with having to decide if they have sufficient time to scoot round before the car heading in the opposite direction hits them head on.

This is particularly challenging just beyond Hardens Close, where the road narrows to a single carriageway on the brow of a slight hill, so you can't easily see the "enemy" coming towards you.

As far as I can see, this is an accident waiting to happen, and let's just pray it involves two cars locking horns over territory rather than a child.

What I find so fiendishly clever about it, is that once the the various "give way," "road narrowing" and "roadworks ahead" signs have been removed, along with the 51 bollards littered around, the only way the motorists will know that the widened pavements and occasional single carriage arrangements are there, will be a load of grid-locked motorists digging out their Highway Codes.

I hate to think how much public money must have been have spent on this flawed plan.

The authorities seem to have been working themselves up to it ever since the police starting hiding in the privet along there a few years ago, with speed cameras cocked.

If they are so desperate to get drivers off this stretch and onto the by-pass, why don't they just come right out and say so, then they can pedestrianise the lot and have done with it.

J Green