THE Spur Road (A338) is a vital road artery for Bournemouth and Poole.

However, the reopened Spur Road has a number of faults which will lead to major traffic congestion and accidents.

First, there are no significant lay-bys on either side of the new Spur Road (the old road had several in each direction).

The volume of traffic carried on this major two-lane road will mean that any mechanical failure or accident could bring the Spur Road to a complete halt as there is no proper lay-by areas for a vehicle (or several vehicles) to pull onto.

Static vehicles will therefore be left on the road and approached by others at high speed. The very worst situation.

Not only are there no lay-bys, there are also no hard shoulders on either side. At least one of these two choices should have been chosen by planners.

The earth on either side is far too soft and rubble-based for vehicles to drive onto.

Any emergency vehicles or articulated lorries risk being bogged down on the soft ground and damaged by waste rubble.

Any driver at speed (70mph road) and attempting to pull over onto this soft rubble-strewn surface risks a catastrophic accident.

This soft surface extends the entire distance in both directions.

The side of the road can also be mistaken at speed at night as being an area onto which a vehicle could be pulled onto.

Furthermore, a significant section of the Spur Road in both directions has newly deepened unprotected ditches running immediately beside the soft road side into which a vehicle could skid.

There are two sections in which a huge ditch, 15 feet below the road surface exists.

These are major drainage channels which at times will fill with water and into which a vehicle at speed could skid and perhaps disappear without being immediately noticed.

Neither of these sections are protected by crash barriers or earth embankments.

Lay-bys, plus crash barriers and small embankments at key danger points would have been easily achieved at little extra cost during the reconstruction.

I am surprised that these anomalies have occurred in the new road as they must have been clearly obvious to the numerous committees, planners and road engineers involved in its construction.

R WILSON

Ravine Road

Poole