A friend of mine had the unfortunate task of bringing a friend to the Civic Centre offices (which is now called Gateway).

Unfortunately, my friend lived just outside the city limits where public transport is scarce.

I told him I would be pleased to take him into the city.

Soon, I regretted the offer as the traffic around the Civic Centre was horrendous, even though this was not a busy time of day.

It was like a Venus flytrap; once in the trap, it was impossible to escape.

Drivers can no longer escape down West Marlands Road, nor turn left at the lights or turn left into East Park Terrace as they all have restricted access.

All I could do was sit in the traffic queue, breathing in the poisonous fumes from the traffic queue as we struggled out of the area.

This city has become a nightmare for the motorist as this loony council does its damnedest to ban cars coming into its domain.

We now have warnings on the radio on the weekends, warning motorists not to use West Quay Road coming from the west when the cruise liners are in.

This is the main route into the city from the west, and it becomes a gigantic car park as motorists struggle to reach places like Ikea, West Quay, and the football stadium.

My advice: if you are visiting the city by car, bring a packed lunch and a potty for emergencies.

The cruise liners may pump out huge volumes of poisonous fumes, but the road system in the city centre causes just as much damage.

When we have the next local elections, I only hope the Raving Loony Party has a candidate, as I will be the first to cast my vote.

Be warned, you so-called city fathers, this city is struggling to survive with little to attract visitors, with expensive parking and stores struggling to survive.

Andre Semple

Southampton