I am very interested, along with thousands of other unfortunate residents who have to use our road system, and in particular the A259 through Rottingdean, in Councillor Mary Mears’ recent letters regarding the public money that was spent in order to force another bus lane on to a road that was never designed to cope.

Can we be allowed to know how much the Go-Ahead group has actually paid towards the cost of turning public highways into no-go zones for other motorists and for moving bus stops into the middle of our roads around the town when for decades lay-bys and bus stops at the side of the road sufficed?

I am sure Coun Mears is aware that Brighton and Hove bus company is a private company and along with the rest of the Go-Ahead group posted half-year profits to December 2008 of £64.6 million.

I know Roger French will argue, as he has in the past, that Brighton and Hove bus company employs just over a thousand people, but that doesn’t answer the question.

Many other privately owned large companies also employ thousands of people but the running of their businesses are funded by themselves and their shareholders, and large chunks of public roads are not given over for the use of so few.

Who pays the lion’s share of road funding?

Yes, the overtaxed motorist!

Steve Kennard, Woodingdean, Brighton