NEWS that Truro's controversial distributor road could shave as little as four seconds off the drive into the city has sparked a debate among our readers.

On the West Briton's website www.thisiscornwall.co.uk readers have been commenting about the £36.8 million proposed distributor road cutting across countryside to the south of the city.

Officers at Cornwall Council say the route from Richard Lander School to Treyew Road will relieve congestion. But councillors have contested it, saying the purpose of the road has changed over the years.

Now members of the public have been debating whether there is any need for the road at all.

Steve from Truro wrote: "Thank goodness the Government has got £36.8 million to waste on a useless, unwanted road that will tear up the local countryside to save seconds in commuter time. And here was I thinking we were in the depths of the deepest financial crisis for 80 years. Idiots."

One concerned resident was shocked to read the report's statement that "the Government has already been critical of the rate of progress being made … in delivering the major transport scheme programme, and has threatened to divert funding elsewhere to other regions/projects if good rates of progress are not achieved.

Detrimental

"Without government funding, there would be no prospect of implementing major transport improvements in the area."

The thisiscornwall.co.uk user said: "I'm sorry but there has surely got to be a line when it comes to the 'use it or lose it' mentality adopted by local government.

"While I can fully appreciate that there is a necessity to fully utilise budgets in other sectors, they must be able to realise that spending this amount of money on a road that will be purely detrimental to the local countryside, with no clear positive advantages, would be borderline insane!"

But others felt the scheme should go ahead.

Nicola from Camborne said: "I think it's a good idea.

"The traffic in and out of Truro is awful and it is supposed to be a city. It needs to have good road infrastructure for people to be able to access the facilities and get to and from work."

Mike from St Austell added: "The traffic through Truro past the hospital is virtually stationary at rush hour and during the tourist season.

"The relief road would cut the traffic in half saving me probably 30 minutes or more off any commute.

"Also, that lovely countryside is within the boundaries of the Truro and Threemilestone development area. This is progress, not a waste of money."

The revised route for the road is due to go to public consultation in February or March.