Narrow thinking

SIR, - Harpenden's Hatching Green road was widened by a developer to enable the safe passage of lorries past mainly residents' parked cars. It is now being reinstated to the less-safe original width.

The developer had offered to leave this and also pay monies that could have half paid for the rugby club footpath extension where three people have died. However, notwithstanding any desire to always preserve all the Common, it is immaterial as Herts Highways/Mouchel refused to even consider to use the normal Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) approval system allowing Common land to become road.

However they happily accept £39,000 planning gain monies from the same developer to do exactly this for a new Hatching Green junction to Redbourn Lane.

Herts Highways/Mouchel also accepted developer planning-gain monies to make the nearby pedestrian pavement under Walkers Road bridge safer by raising it. However they used two stepped kerbs rather than use the normal proprietary safety kerb more able to deflect errant car wheels. Their excuse of less loss of pavement width is mystifying.

Local residents have to listen to the thump of lorries and cars throughout day and night where Herts Highways/Mouchel also recently installed the nearby Piggottshill Lane pedestrian crossing but used numerous steep road humps rather than a speed camera or less steep ramps.

Sadly it also seems to wish to discontinue the Harpenden Transportation Forum where residents can pass comments to them. Listening to residents, Herts County Council have pumped an extra £10m per year into enhanced levels of road maintenance to Herts Highways/Mouchel but again with disappointing results.

More listening and effective action by our highways engineers is required.

CLLR MIKE WAKELY,

St Albans District Council.