Sir – The proposed improvements to Oxford’s western gateway at Frideswide Square are to be welcomed but as your editorial correctly states, council officers cannot afford to get the redevelopment wrong. One aspect of the proposals that do not yet appear to have been thoroughly thought through is the junction of Hythe Bridge Street with Rewley Road.

Your report says that tens of thousands of vehicles are expected to use the square every day with traffic flowing slowly but steadily. However traffic turning right into Rewley Road will bring this flow to a halt, while traffic wishing to turn right out of Rewley Road will have little chance of crossing the east-bound traffic stream and then joining the west-bound traffic without some kind of controlled junction.

Rewley Road is the home of Oxford’s fire station, the Staff Care and Occupational Health team, the domestic servicing of the Said Business School, accommodation for Green Templeton College at Rewley Abbey Court, the First Great Western depot and 140 car-owning households on Rewley Park.

The current traffic light arrangement is already problematic, because of a combination of poor phasing and blocked exits. Only fire engines on an emergency have an assured exit.

A future solution might be an ‘over-runnable’ mini-roundabout as, while a yellow box junction might help, this would rely on clear exits to enable traffic to leave Rewley Road.

The entrance on to Hythe Bridge Street from Rewley Road is also very unprepossessing and will hardly improve the look of the eastern end of the proposed boulevard.

So in addition to improving the junction perhaps this area should also be included in the proposed improved landscaping proposals.

Tom Hassall, Oxford