AS a consequence of Bucks County Council mismanagement and apparent lack of concern, the road traffic in High Wycombe is systematically being brought to a halt.

After careful observation over several months it seems the proliferation of temporary traffic lights on most major highways servicing the town and traffic cones seem to be thrown randomly around major junctions for no apparent reason.

Recently I passed traffic lights in the middle of the day on Desborough Avenue, Bridge Street and Hamilton Road with not a workman in sight.

We have traffic at the end of Bellfield Road being controlled by Safeways with cones causing chaos while shrubs on the side of the road are trimmed.

At 3pm on Friday no work was being carried out but traffic had been brought almost to a standstill.

My frequent phone calls to the Highways Department of Bucks County Council results in the response that 'they are unable to control the rate of work or times of operation of the contractors laying cables or carrying out other highways activities'.

In effect, therefore, they no longer control the highways. So why are they there using up our taxes?

Their response to the lack of gritting in the town after the snow on December 28, when the town was an ice rink, was that we should not expect staff to give up their holiday to respond.

I was told the gritters were out in town but having walked every street (and slid on the ice along most of them) I failed to see any sign of a gritting vehicle although there was one council worker trying to collect litter from beneath the snow!

This typifies the efficiency of both Bucks and the Wycombe councils. I have attempted to obtain an estimate of the length of time we can expect traffic chaos along Desborough Avenue to continue, but Bucks County Council do not know.

They were unable to explain why work was stopped, and the lights removed, over the Christmas period and restarted with the lights replaced, the day the schools returned.

Such is their malmanagement. Even at Handy Cross they published a start date for the work which is ongoing of January 4 (see BFP, December 21) yet the work did not start until January 15.

There is a solution. First appoint council staff from High Wycombe residents/ratepayers only which would ensure a vested interest.

Secondly, make them accountable with their jobs at risk if they do not perform and give responsibility accordingly.

Finally ensure that all contracts for work on the highways comes under the control the Highways Dept even where the work is on new roads, such as the one outside Safeways, which have not been taken over by the council.

A secure job in a cosy office with good pay and guaranteed pensions paid by the public but with no responsibility or accountability except to churn out the usual weak excuses for the ever increasing traffic delays is not acceptable any longer.

A W Parr, Pretoria Road, High Wycombe