I WAS delighted to see you highlight the traffic chaos at Whitebirk roundabout (LET, March 8). This mess is entirely created by Lancashire County Council.

I have been a regular user of the short stretch of M65 linking Accrington junction 7, with Blackburn North junction 6, for the past seven years in my journeys to and from work.

Last week the resurfacing work on Whitebirk roundabout was swiftly carried out in a couple of days. I was very impressed and nearly sent a letter in praise of the council and employees!

However, my feelings were short-lived by the end of the week when I encountered standing traffic on the inside lane of the motorway as I approached the slip road to the roundabout.

Twenty minutes later, I found out the reason for the hold up. The slip road was coned off and reduced to two lanes.

The rate of traffic flow on to the roundabout was reduced by about 50 per cent, not a third as might be expected.

By putting down white lines on the roundabout and reducing traffic to two lanes, it has had the effect of speeding up drivers, who now feel safer in their clearly defined territory.

This now makes it harder for cars to enter the roundabout from the various slip roads, hence the delays.

Far from reducing speeding and accidents, it will have the opposite effect.

Standing traffic on the motorway is a much greater danger which could lead to a fatal crash as frustrated motorists pull out of the queue into fast moving traffic.

The notion that any signs put up will educate motorist to 'use the correct lanes,' is complete nonsense.

It's the reduction in lanes, not the use of them that is causing the chaos.

Perhaps the county councilshould take note of the Dutch traffic experiment, where road markings have been removed and the accident rate has fallen!

M CRAGG, Wyresdale Avenue, Accrington.