In response to Mr Foster’s letter (Jan 22), similar to all major employers, RBH are necessarily major leaders in travel planning, both for their staff and those visiting the hospital.

The council has been working closely with the hospital management on many of the key issues for the longer term, although significant pressures exist on the site itself.

It is for that reason that we have been exploring ways in which we can advance their plans to help relieve those pressures and press for external funding to progress a long-term solution.

In terms of road maintenance across Bournemouth, the council’s highway inspection programme means that repairs are made on a priority basis.

However, in addition to the base budget we have invested almost another £5m of council taxpayers’ money through the council’s Road Rescue campaign over the past five years.

This has allowed us to take on significant pothole repairs as well as carrying out a number of major resurfacing works.

This level of investment has helped to maintain Bournemouth’s roads to a standard closer to that expected by residents and motorists, and prevented the need for even more future works on the highway.

Clearly there will never be enough money available to do all that residents would like to see, but with the huge cuts in government funding and the priority of frozen council tax bills in Bournemouth, we have made our resources stretch to keep the standard as high as we can afford.

The works on Castle Lane West are being carried out as part of the council’s commitment to tackle future traffic congestion across the town.

Funded through additional government funding specifically for this project, improvements are being made to provide easier and safer routes to schools and workplaces for those travelling by bike, bus and walking.

All road users benefit from these works as not only do they improve sustainable travel options but motorists who have travelled through the areas where work has already been completed will notice the improved road surfacing that has been achieved.

Please give the council time to complete these works and then judge whether we have improved the local road network for all users.

Cllr John Beesley, leader of the council