Sir.-As a Liberal Democrat for Brighton Hill South, I would like to say how much I agreed with your editorial in last Friday's Gazette, regarding the Brighton Hill Roundabout.

Residents have put up with the increasing traffic congestion there for many years. The new housing at Beggarwood Lane, the redeveloped Homebase superstore and Asda have no doubt all contributed to an increase in traffic volume.

Last year, Brighton Hill lost out when the Conservative-run county council decided to divert money from Brighton Hill Roundabout to traffic schemes in the south of the county.

At the time, the Liberal Democrats highlighted the fact that developers had agreed to pay more than £1million for local traffic improvements - but if the money is not spent by 2006, the agreement is no longer binding and the money will be lost.

Now, rather than tackling jams at the roundabout, the county council is proposing to spend £1m doing little more than tinkering with the road markings.

The people of Brighton Hill have been patient long enough. Rather than waste money on a scheme that doesn't tackle the problems, the county council should be proposing a proper, lasting solution.

The Conservatives have let down Brighton Hill again and again. Whether it is changing school catchment areas or closing Beech Down School, they have ignored local people.

Getting it wrong on Brighton Hill Roundabout will be the last straw.

-John Barnes, Liberal Democrat Councillor, Brighton Hill South.

Sir.-I must express my disappointment at the way the Brighton Hill Roundabout situation is being handled.

There is an urgent need to improve the roundabout, yet here we see our councillors presiding over rocketing costs and nothing is being done.

There are compelling traffic management and safety cases for improvements to the roundabout:

1. It is the third busiest roundabout in Basingstoke, used by about 30,000 cars a day.

2. I understand it has had 17 personal injury accidents in the past three years. Given the 40mph-plus speeds attained by traffic going from Brighton Way to Winchester Road, I am surprised no-one has been killed trying to exit Western Way.

According to figures published by Hampshire, it costs £700,000 to investigate each serious injury accident and £1.4m to investigate a fatality. If we do nothing, or procrastinate any more over costs, taxpayers will have spent this money by other means and will have nothing to show for it.

Where is the commitment to the A30 corridor strategy?

Whatever happened to the plans to improve the A30, Brighton Hill Roundabout, and Winchester Road Roundabout?

Traffic volumes are increasing - where are the plans to manage this? Whatever happened to Hampshire's Road Casualty Reduction Programme?

Homebase gave £1m over a year ago to make improvements to the roundabout, with a time limit for implementation of 2006, after which they can take the money back. When I read The Friday Gazette on March 19, I could not believe Cllr Chapman's remarks, effectively saying we should hand back the money to Homebase.

Presumably, he thinks it is perfectly acceptable for council tax payers to put their hands in their pockets to make up for this wasted money.

As for Cllr Gurden, he has had four years as council leader, then deputy leader, to get something done with Brighton Hill Roundabout. He has failed.

Only recently a Lib Dem Focus came through my door with Cllr Gurden promising the traffic lights would be coming soon to Brighton Hill Roundabout. About a week later, I read that the proposals have hit a wall. What a farce!

-Carl Reader, Ketelbey Rise, Brighton Hill, Basingstoke.

Sir.-Several correspondents have declared they are against the idea of traffic lights at Brighton Hill Roundabout.

I can only speak as I find, and the installation of traffic lights at the previously-congested Black Dam Roundabout has made the negotiation of that roundabout quicker, easier and safer.

I see no reason why traffic lights should not have the same effect at Brighton Hill.

-Bob Farmer, Old Kempshott Lane, Basingstoke.

Sir.-There has been a lot of comment about the Brighton Hill Roundabout, with some quite sensible suggestions.

However, I am surprised that no mention has been made by any of the 4,000 (approximate) patients of Overbridge surgery in Worting Road, who from this month will have to travel to the Gillies Centre in Brighton Hill.

Some possibly already live the other side of the roundabout, but the majority, including many elderly, do not, meaning they will make an already extremely busy junction even busier.

I fear a few disasters.

-R Prowting, Sandys Road, Basingstoke.

Sir.-The challenge of easing traffic flow at the Brighton Hill Roundabout produced some interesting letters last week. I believe B Gillingham came closest to a possible solution with his gearbox analogy.

Forget traffic lights - they are an expensive option which I feel would serve only to pile on the agony. The root cause of the problem is startlingly obvious - but less easy to fix, since it would require some serious driver education.

As long as vehicles already on the roundabout accelerate unnecessarily past the junctions, waiting traffic has little chance of meshing with the flow. If speed was restricted to a sensible level, then everyone would have a better chance of making progress - just like the proverbial gearbox.

So, what's the low-cost solution?

1. Make the Brighton Hill Roundabout a special traffic experiment - and publicise it widely. The money would be well-spent on good signage - unlike the "Welcome to Basingstoke" signs (we are not exactly a cathedral/ tourist/holiday destination!).

2. Place large advisory signs on the roundabout: "Slow down - give everyone a chance"

3. Install some bright orange "robot men", the sort you see on the French roads near roadworks. Their up-and-down arm movements urging vehicles to slow down are amusing, but get the message across.

If all this seems daft, who would have thought that variable speed limits on the M25 would actually speed up the overall journey?

-Hugh Sawyer, Hackwood Road, Basingstoke.

Sir.-With the current council, I am afraid if solutions to improve traffic flow involve any form of road widening, or do not include road humps or multi-coloured lines, then you have no chance.

I am surprised that the Basingstoke road hump grid has not been extended to Brighton Hill. Is Councillor Hussey on holiday?

-Trevor Hitchman, e-mail.