THE performance of the present council has been exemplary in areas such as waste collection, recycling, budgetary control and, most recently, dealing promptly with weather-related potholes. It is therefore all the more disappointing that "Good for Greenford" should better be named "Rotten for Residents".

On the positive side, there are now reasonable width pavements between Barclays Bank and Tesco, and on the southern side of The Broadway by the bus stops - however, this could have been achieved for a sum measured in the tens of thousands of pounds, rather than in excess of £5million.

A massive opportunity genuinely to improve the town centre has been thrown away here.

In general, there is pavement space that would do justice to Oxford Street or Fifth Avenue, but is totally inappropriate for Greenford.

Admittedly at greater cost, it would have been possible to reduce pavement widths at appropriate points by at least 10 feet, enabling extra traffic lanes, and a four-way filter at the Red Lion lights.

Not only would this have reduced "rat-running", but it would also then have been possible to impose a "no right turn" restriction out of Windmill Lane, and circulate buses in the opposite direction to presently - both a major source of congestion in The Broadway.

While on the subject of buses, we still have a situation where the bus stops on Ruislip Road (just above Lidl) are almost directly opposite one another. With no cut-in on either side, and given the number of bus routes served, more often than not there is effectively "one way traffic" at this point.

On The Broadway itself, even though the bus stop outside Boots is cut-in, drivers often seem to stop there for long periods (presumably for scheduling reasons), with the result that other buses are forced to stop in the main carriageway.

The new York stone paving may look better, but the recent bad weather has shown that, as a surface, it becomes lethal with the slightest bit of snow or ice upon it - indeed, neighbours have said to me that it becomes very slippery even when simply wet.

I can foresee this paving resulting in considerable future cost to the local authority, either in extra gritting or in increased insurance premiums resulting from the number of falls that occur.

Sadly, it is too late for Greenford but perhaps lessons can be learned that will benefit other town centres within the borough.

S P D MOSS Braund Avenue

Greenford