Oh, how I chuckled when I read of traffic proposals to ease the burden on the crumbling and overwhelmed A34 trunk road (Oxford Mail, September 2).

I do hope residents and motorists aren't hoping for a speedy solution to the plans outlined by Oxfordshire County Council transport planning manager John Disley.

I am prepared to lay a £20 wager, linked to inflation, to any road safety or police charity, of the editor's choice, that none of these major proposals will be in operation in the next 10 years.

When these planning chaps waffle on about 'improvements' (as suggested for the quaint old A415), they really mean a bit more paint, lop a few trees back and more traffic lights.

That's not improvement, Mr Disley -- that's 'bodgery'.

Therefore, the only exception to this generous offer is to exclude the usual quick-fix, beloved by Mr Disley and his road planning chums.

I hope to see a short article in the Oxford Mail in the next 10 years, where I'm forced to eat humble pie, in the presence of Mr Disley, and donate an index-linked £20 to your charity.

Call me a wise pessimist (or an optimist, depending on your readers' point of view), but I've a feeling that my £20 will remain firmly in my pocket.

Peter Laidler, Anson Close, Marcham, Abingdon