“Billboards can’t be blamed for poor driving” – resident

EDITOR – In the article Residents Furious About Chopped Trees, councillor Jill Humphreys is quoted as saying: “I honestly believe that the number of accidents on the Gillooly’s interchange, which is the busiest in the country with so many splits, is undoubtedly due to confusion and being distracted by monstrous billboards.”

I find her statement disturbing. You may not like the billboards, but they cannot be blamed for poor driving. Any competent driver needs to deal with numerous distractions at all times, and if they cannot, then they should not be driving. It is ridiculous to suggest that billboards be blamed for accidents. She may not like the billboards, but making sweeping, inaccurate statements does her cause no good.

If the councillor wishes to comment on the reasons for road accidents at Gillooly’s, she should research and investigate the matter.

And for the record, I am a resident of Bedfordview, since 1992, and I am not outraged. I don’t find billboards attractive but I am certainly not outraged.

Patricia Holburn.