I read with interest the Bypass debate in the County Times (November 15).

As a born and bred Newtonian I have seen many changes to our town since the 1950s. Some have been for the better and sadly some have been for the worse.

While the long awaited Bypass has clearly relieved the pressure of through traffic I find it beggars belief that the roundabout at the junction with Kerry and Pool road is still there.

We were told the original roundabout was removed to allow the passage of wind turbines through to the West of Newtown, as the Nantoer bridge was too low for the lorries to pass underneath.

OTHER NEWS:

Surely now, the Bypass has pre-empted the need for the traffic lights and I call for their removal.

We hear calls for a greener environment, which is good, so please can someone explain why we have to wait with engines running at traffic lights when a normal flow of traffic is much better for the environment. 

Making cars stop and then move off again uses more fuel than if vehicles naturally flow through.

The untold frustrations of those who live and work in Newtown continue when the removal of the former roundabout for the sake of a few large lorries has long passed.

I would call for the funding that is to be poured into the so-called Rebranding of Newtown to be used to reinstate the roundabout and thus rebrand Newtown as a stress free environment for its residents.

After all, we are the ones who are suffering in the wake of something planned by others who live outside of our area.

How many of us have been stationary at the Kerry road lights at off peak times when nothing else is passing through.

If our leaders and betters are supposed to rule over our well being, and have the power to do so, surely this issue should be put right and the roundabout brought back. 

Please improve the quality of our lives, stress levels and blood pressure and reinstate the roundabout.
Stephen Owen