I HAVE just spent another 20 minutes queueing and crawling down Milton Road to Hill Lane in a diversion caused by the protracted work of connecting the new university building at Havelock Place to the water and electricity supplies.

It certainly appears that the traffic department (if one exists) is very anti-motorists and unaware that this city is amongst the most polluted in the country.

There are two issues in my mind, firstly, they never seem to imbue the contractors with any sense of urgency.

One would have thought that the building would have had the services laid on when the groundwork was being carried out, (they did know that water and power would be needed,) if it was not an error.

Why are they allowed to disrupt the traffic for such a long period?

Urgency Look at the work down at Dock Gate 4. Most people, I know, have never seen any more than four or five workers on the entire site.

Urgency is a word unknown in that set-up.

The council must have powers to limit the time allowed for any project.

Secondly, as mentioned recently in this column, what has happened to the Romanse system which was adopted some years ago with EU money?

The impression was that they could control all the lights in the city and it certainly did work on the east side when traffic was going into the city and when it was leaving at night.

It only lasted for a year or so and seems to have been abandoned.

This system could speed up the release of traffic off Milton Road and on it’s way up Hill Lane etc.

No one ever actually speaks about it nowadays and a little article of explanation would be very welcome.

Meanwhile a manual operation would suffice while the protracted works go on in town.

Coincidentally, at the time Radio 4 was asking people what the British spirit is.

In this instance it is “patience and courtesy”, these queueing people are kind enough to let cars from side roads join in the line without any rancour, showing patience and good manners.

Oh that the council would show us some of the same.

Jack Howard, Southampton