Sir – It is a pity Cllr Hudspeth is so out of touch (Report, May 20). His ‘empty land’ between Abingdon Road and Heyford Hill is a much-used footpath and cycle-way. It is not at all a sensible place for road-widening, even for a bus lane.

But the Sainsbury’s scheme for the Heyford Hill roundabout is brilliant. Traffic lights would make it safer for car users, pedestrians and cyclists. At the same time, the drive-through the middle would increase the junction’s traffic capacity.

We certainly need more bus lanes to speed up commuter journeys. Abingdon, Witney and Bicester into the city are all crying out for bus lanes. Outside Oxford itself we have seen far too little bus priority since 2005 when the Tories took over Oxfordshire.

Nothing is more frustrating than being stuck on a full bus sitting behind a traffic jam caused by a line of cars with one or two occupants.

The problem is the Tory/Lib Dem Government which is set on deflating the British economy. So the chance of any Government cash for bus lanes is nil.

Instead the county council will increasingly be dependent on handouts from the private sector.

John Tanner (Labour) Labour spokesman for growth and infrastructure, Oxford City Council, and county councillor for Isis