CONGRATULATIONS to St Helens Council.

Why? They have succeeded in turning the clock back more than 50 years.

Where? Marshalls Cross Road. It used to be a single carriageway, was made into a double to facilitate traffic and now it is a single carriageway once again.

The next step is to go farther back in time and have a man walking in front of each vehicle carrying a red flag. Don’t laugh, they have the speed limit down to 20 mph already.

So what else has the motorist have to put up with? A mishmash of humps, cushions, chicanes, platforms, rumble strips, width restrictions, narrowings, kerb restrictions, traffic lights, which change for no reason and give priority to minor roads, signs leading to signs... and not a GPS in sight.

This is an extract from the reply to a letter I sent to the council: “It is national policy to introduce measures which assist public transport and cycling. In St Helens bus and cycle lanes have only been introduced where other road users would not be inconvenienced.

“It is essential that every possible encouragement is given to alternative forms of transport other than the car as it is impossible to continue to build more road space to cope with the rise in vehicle ownership “If we don’t have people making more use of public transport, walking and cycling, then congestion on the roads will reach unacceptable levels.

“However I understand frustration with the bus lane on Marshalls Cross Road where few buses use that road.”

Ron Smith