I FEEL sorry for any strange driver who wanders into Blackburn's new road layout.

I rarely use my car for local journeys in Blackburn, but recently had to fill up with petrol and at the same time pick up a large package from a location on the other side of town, necessitating travelling on the 'new'orbital route.

Having lived in the town all my life and been in a job that required an intimate knowledge of the town's road layout, shame to say, I got 'lost.'

Knowing that the road layout and the orientation of many roads have been changed, I was being extra careful to ensure that my instinctive knowledge of their previous orientation did not kick in and cause me to end up driving on them in the wrong direction.

Being extra vigilant in checking signs and road markings, however, I found there were so many confusing signs and road markings it would have meant travelling at a snail's pace. Perhaps this is a deliberate policy to try and slow drivers.

Observing many of my fellow adventurers and noting their frequent slowing down and the resulting changing of lanes was some compensation that I was not the only one having difficulty and did ofset a little bit the humiliation of getting lost in my own town.

L LAWES, Bold Street, Blackburn.