ON Thursday last I drove from Haxby to Woodthorpe via the outer ring road.

I was surprised to find that the roadworks at Rawcliffe roundabout were still ongoing. Why is it taking so long to lay a few extra yards of tarmac and paint some new white lines? Post-tsunami the Japanese managed to replace a few miles of motorway in about one week.

I noticed that the new road layout on the roundabout includes two lanes marked Leeds exiting the roundabout westbound. These two lanes merge into one after about 50 yards.

No doubt this will cause traffic to back up onto the roundabout, with the same inconsiderate drivers who block entry to the roundabout at Clifton Moor making it difficult to turn right, ie eastbound on the ring road.

Traffic leaving York northbound on the A19 will encounter this problem. The authorities responsible for this design need only travel a few miles east, to the Hopgrove junction, to see that two lanes of traffic merging into one simply causes immense tailbacks at peak periods.

Peter Roberts, Thornhills, Haxby, York.