Alan W Partridge, of Newton Abbot, Fellow Institute of Travel and Tourism, sends us a copy of his letter to Cllr Jackie Brodie:

As you will be aware from other correspondence I have had with you concerning the bus station violation of traffic orders, that I founded Country Bus and Alansway Taxis. I have been a travel agent in the town for some 50- plus years, I also actually drive the buses in the town in an emergency situation. I am also a founding Fellow of the Institute of Travel and Tourism. Therefore I feel qualified to make comments about the proposed development at Forde Road using the David and Charles site.

I think you are right to have reservations over traffic matters in this project. The planning committee do not have a very good history when it comes to commercial retail development.

They have created a crisis, a gridlock between the hours of, say, 10am and around 2.30pm every weekday and difficulties on Saturdays along Kingsteignton Road. When I drive the 79 route newton Abbot-Kingsteignton, circular timekeeping is almost impossible, especially if there is high passenger demand for the service. Only last Thursday I was driving two round trips which should have taken one hour, and yet actually took 1hr 20mins. This is caused by:

1. The total chaos at the entrance to the Lidl store at the fountain. Cars trying to get into an already inadequate car park, queuing out on to the main Kingsteignton Road, obstructing the flow of traffic both inwards and outwards.

2. The roundabout at Tesco, which causes a tailback of traffic back to Greenhill Way.

3. The right-hand turn into the Pottery Road retail park.

All these things could, and should, have been foreseen by any competent planning officer and questioned by the planning committee. This is congestion and traffic chaos caused by the planning officers and committee, for which we, the users of the roads, are now having to pay for with our wasted time and patience.

Now at Brunel Road there is certain to be a reenactment of this chaotic situation. Another gridlock waiting to happen because:

1. There will be traffic (cars) queued up in Forde Road trying to enter Brunel Road.

2. Traffic waiting at the traffic lights in Brunel Road will block the exit from Forde Road.

3. The traffic lights controlling the main Torquay Road do not have sufficient time to allow the normal flow of traffic along this road so the traffic will back up along Station Road.

4. There will be substantial pedestrian use with about ten per cent of customers arriving by bus. This will mean 12 buses an hour pulling into the bus stop outside the social club.

5. These buses will then need to pull out into oncoming traffic, cross two/three traffic lanes to get to their correct lane for redistribution at Penn Inn. This will then slow most of the non bus traffic to a slower speed, causing more problems.

6. There will need to be another bus stop on the Newton Abbot inbound lane for buses to bring passengers to the Brunel junction, then use the traffic light-controlled crossing.

This again will slow the traffic causing more delays and congestion. The 12 buses an hour will also need to change carriageways to travel past the railway station as at present.

As I have said, the record of the planning committee in understanding practical, operational problems appears to be very low as shown from their previous decision and recommendations for Kingsteignton. Thus again we are all paying the price of professionals sitting behind desks with paper qualification, and absolutely no practical experience.