I FEEL I have to respond to your articles concerning the proposed closure of Edmondsham Road, in Verwood (Forest Journal, February 2).

As a resident of Moorlands Road (along which all the traffic will still continue to travel back and forth, regardless of where the road gets closed), I have been moved by the complainants in Edmondsham Road from mild amusement to steadily growing annoyance.

The situation is now becoming farcical.

Yes, there will be extra traffic that will have to travel along Edmondsham Road in order to reach Moorlands Road.

True, there are no pavements or street lights along Edmondsham Road.

However, neither are there considerable numbers of pedestrians wandering along the road, and there are certainly never any children playing in the road who are likely to get squashed by this extra traffic.

The drivers who already speed along Edmondsham Road will either continue to do so or will drive along Champtoceux Avenue at high speed in preference.

A road closure will make no difference to them.

On the subject of the "increased traffic", I'd be interested to hear if any of the residents has actually bothered to count the number of vehicles that rumble along Moorlands Road each day, or whether, as I suspect, they are making a large assumption.

In the summer, you do get the odd coachload of wrinklies travelling to the bowls club.

Yes, there are brewery vehicles travelling to the Legion, again probably one or two a day at most.

And let's not forget the Verwood Age Concern minibus that comes along to the band hall a couple of times a week.

Wow. How annoying that can be.

To the residents of Edmondsham in your nice big houses, I say: This isn't a by-pass being built outside your houses.

You probably won't notice the difference and the value of your houses isn't going to be affected.

Before Champtoceux Avenue was built, there was surely even more traffic passing your doors, so, even with the increase that might occur, it'll still be quieter than it was six years ago.

Please stop speaking on behalf of people whose opinions you haven't sought.

"People round here do not want it," you say. Well, if the photograph in the Journal is indicative of how many people are opposed, then there's no case to answer.

They've apparently had to rope in five children and two cars to successfully make the road look blocked by protestors hardly a mass demonstration, is it?

Verwood isn't a charming Dorset village, it's a growing town and people need to allow it to change to accommodate this growth.

In a few years' time, no one will even remember what all the fuss was about.

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