Dear Sir/Madam

In response to the SW Regional Committee's call for evidence on transport in the SW I attach below a copy of an email sent to Devon County Council & East Devon District Council. We would make a strong plea that it should not be forgotten that whilst decisions are taken by ever more remote regional or national organisations the impact is felt by individuals living in our local communities who see little or no opportunity to influence those decisions.

"1. At Monday's meeting of Widworthy Parish Council, during a discussion on the volume of traffic through Wilmington Village, Devon County & East Devon District Councillor Sara Randall Johnson alerted us to the SW Regional Select Committee's call for evidence on transport in the SW.

2. I assume that the County Council will be making a submission to the Select Committee & my Council would make a strong plea that, despite the current economic difficulties, the long term aim should be to secure the provision of a dualled A35 east of Honiton with the villages in East Devon bypassed as part of the Plymouth to Folkestone trunk road system.

3. Given the volume of traffic & the sheer size of the modern vehicles life in the rural villages alongside the A35 is fast becoming intolerable. In our own village of Wilmington traffic regularly grinds to a halt either because two large vehicles can't pass through the 'narrows' or because of the frequent traffic accidents in & either side of the village. This often forces drivers to make unsuitable detours causing damage to the rural lanes, hedges & property. At the other extreme we have those that view the speed limit as a challenge & travel through the village at speeds in excess of 40 mph. Property is frequently damaged by those vehicles that get too close; it's not safe to push a pram or wheel chair through the village; crossing the road is at times impossible & the elderly & disabled feel trapped in their homes.

4. The rural idyll is fast becoming a rural hell & we would ask that this is taken into consideration when deciding future priorities for transport provision in the region".

Yours sincerely

Dr Jack Neal

Clerk to Widworthy Parish Council