MUM and I drove out at lunchtime on Saturday to Newton Tony, to hand over an old duvet that would make a comfy bed for a homeless hound at the Dogs Trust.

Hitting the ring road, my heart sank as I took in the queues in both directions at every roundabout.

I wished I’d never set off, because it would take ages to get back.

But being a cussed individual, I ploughed on in the spirit of that old Mastermind catchphrase: “I’ve started so I’ll finish”. (Closest to Mastermind I’ll ever get!)

We persevered, via Castle Road before cutting through Ford, where we enjoyed watching the parachutists landing alongside us but where the lane is manifestly unsuitable to be used as a rat-run. My excuse? There wasn’t much choice if we were ever to reach our destination. I’m as bad as everyone else!

Just think how much worse it’ll get round there if the airfield’s operators are allowed to surround it with housing.

Their appeal starts at 10am on Tuesday at the City Hall. Try to get there if you care.

Whatever the outcome of that particular battle, can nothing be done about the city’s appalling road network?

It’s easy to knock other people’s attempts to be constructive, and that’s not my aim in life. Neither do I wish to ‘talk down’ Salisbury.

But in order for our little city to be successfully ‘rebranded’, we can’t overlook how off-putting it is for people to actually travel here, in competition with all those just trying to drive through to get somewhere else.

Free parking is being cut back to a point where few will benefit, just before the Christmas rush begins.

Is that wise? It’s not exactly festive fun, is it, slogging through jams and forking out a small fortune before you set foot in a shop, or leaving it till nearly teatime to start?

Park and ride? The buses take almost as long as cars to reach the city centre.

There’s been a strong reaction to my last column, about the prospect of more commercial development alongside the Tesco roundabout.

One reader suggested starting a petition to get Highways England to sort out the A36, and to veto any further building alongside it in the meantime. Please do, I’ll sign it!

Our MP is understandably bogged down in Brexit and its impact on the City. But it’s not our city.

I’ve yet to hear of any progress by the Guildhall Gang on a Neighbourhood Plan that might give some legal weight to public opinion about our future.

Rebranding - at an as-yet unspecified cost - may help our businesses. I sincerely hope so. But more than logos and slogans, what we really need is campaigning, local leadership to focus minds at Westminster on our transport troubles.

Given time, even the most timid tourists will notice that the citizens of Salisbury are not actually dropping like flies, and will feel safe to come here again.

If they can be bothered to brave the journey, that is.

anneriddle36@gmail.com