I am aware that I get annoyed very easily. For example, thousands of pounds of taxpayers money has recently been spent on redesigning a traffic roundabout in our town. It is a busy roundabout used by hundreds of motorists every day. The main thing wrong with it was that the white lines had largely worn away and needed repainting, and a little redesigning. Otherwise it worked well as far as I could see.
Not good enough for the road authorities. No, they decided that it needed major work done on it, and warned us of possible road closures while this was carried out. Up to seven months, they said.
To be fair, the road closures, apart from some lane restriction, did not happen and we were able to still get through with a little patience. However, they have just finished and the work has taken nearly a year.
But have we now got a superb redesigned roundabout? No, not in my opinion. We have lane that throws drivers unexpectedly into the right hand lane when you are expecting to be in the left lane, and another that indicates straight ahead, and then puts you into a turn left lane from which the only escape is across hatching, which is both dangerous and, I believe, against the Highway Code.
These are not the only dangerous aspects of this new design, but I won't bore you further on the subject. Suffice to ask who designs these things? Do they have any practical experience of their subject and suitable qualifications? One does wonder.
I hope that I'm just an old fuddy-duddy in this case, and that I'm proved wrong. I hope that the traffic does run smoothly round the roundabout, but I have an uneasy feeling about it. I really do.
Did you spot any good April Fools jokes today? I didn't, although with the Election getting well and truly underway now that politicians have been kicked out of Westminster to once more seek our crosses on ballot forms, it's hard to tell.
