Council not listening

Sir - I am sorry to disappoint Howard Lawrence (BoS Feb 7) about a bridge at Batts Ford. I wrote to MP Patrick Hall about this bridge not long ago and it seems it will not be built until about 2021.

When the Kingsway and Greyfriars were built and River Street was widened, Bedford council told us it was going to put a bridge over the river at Batts Ford to take traffic out of the town centre.

That was then, in the past. If it had been built then, we would not have 8, 10, 12-wheel articulated lorries struggling to get round the curves between Kingsway and River Street.

When one walks into the town hall, it says on the wall that Bedford is a pro-active and listening council.

It cannot build a bridge but it can waste taxpayers’ money. Just look at the amount of traffic lights between Elstow Park and Ride on the A6 and the junction of Elstow Road and Ampthill Road.

Why are there three sets of lights each way at the pedestrian crossing in Cardington Road at Cardington Cross? Go over St John’s Bridge and there are five sets of lights. One set is right behind a double set and cannot be seen until the last minute. Riverside Square was developed at ratepayers’ expense and now it is going to be redeveloped again.

The council is still on about redeveloping the railway station quarter.

The present station was built for more than £1million of taxpayers’ money.

Nobody will tell me what gives Bedford Council, Network Rail and others the right to waste taxpayers’ money by moving the station entrance when it is on railway property.

Bedford council is not pro-active and listening.