SIR - Three things have struck me recently, if you would allow me to put matters of a different nature into one letter. Firstly, I don t know how often the public conveniences in the Maltings are cleaned, but if it is once or twice a day, I cannot see for

SIR - Three things have struck me recently, if you would allow me to put matters of a different nature into one letter.

Firstly, I don't know how often the public conveniences in the Maltings are cleaned, but if it is once or twice a day, I cannot see for whose benefit the opening hours are so short. They could be cleaned just as well at 8.15pm, when the library is shut, as at 6pm when it is still open most days. Equally, I have often seen people wanting to go in there while I am waiting for the library to open at 9 am. At the very least there should be a sign telling us where the nearest ones are open and their opening hours.

Secondly (another example of poor signage and ignoring what most people would want): I have only just discovered that the M10 is no longer the M10. I am very surprised that this fact has not been discussed on your letters pages. I wonder whether it was even reported, but maybe I missed it. I just think the advantages must be outweighed by the disadvantages. I suppose it reduces the traffic on the M1 from where the M10 joined it to the Hemel turning, but it would be nice to know the reasoning and whether other options were considered.

I doubt that the A414, as it now is, will get many cycles on it on that stretch, as there is already an A-road from St Albans to Hemel. I have yet to check whether there is or will be a cycle-path alongside it.

The main disadvantage is that people will get confused especially if they are not regulars in the area. They will have to stop by a roadside to check their maps - which will often be out of date in this respect now - and they may get lost and use more polluting fuel driving around till they can get their bearings.

Finally, again I may have missed it, but we had a long list of parties to vote for in the MEP elections, but I have not seen in any paper exactly how the votes went for the minority parties, except in the Watford area. It is bad enough that those parties generally didn't tell us what they were offering, or if they did, it was after some of us had already sent in our postal votes.

I look to the local papers to help improve the lack of communication shown to the general public - and to prompt the powers-that-be to take more notice of what people actually want!

It's bad enough that this is largely ignored at national level. Some of these issues affect how our taxes are spent, so please keep us in the loop.

S BEAVER

London Road

St Albans