Answers needed on roadworks chaos

After sitting in the now familiar queue at the Himley Road/A449 junction and again arriving 40 minutes late for work (believe me, I have tried all other possible routes and times) I have been galvanised to put pen to paper.

At the outset of the work and the much-publicised chaos that ensued, various questions were raised by infuriated motorists, none of which I can recall being answered except for the comment of the Staffordshire County Council representative that it was the responsibility of Severn Trent Water.

Under current legislation it is the highway authority which has a duty to reduce congestion and minimise delays to the travelling public, while third parties such as Severn Trent have a duty to co-operate in the process.

I again ask:

Was there an advance press release, jointly or otherwise, warning of the impending problem?

Why was the work not carried out during one of the school holidays? (Please don't say it is an emergency.)

Why are there still no proper information boards on site stating who is doing the work and why, with start and finish dates together with a contact number instead of the pathetic one currently in place?

Have working times been extended to reduce the time taken for the scheme? (There does not appear to be any environmental restriction due to proximity of dwellings etc.)

Why has the most critical aspect of the work, namely temporary light sequences, been so badly managed? After all, it is the highway authority which dictates this aspect.

All of the above are common sense issues which should have been addressed by both the council and Severn Trent before the work started, but I don't suppose the long-suffering public will ever receive a response, even when it happens again.

A W Brown, Moss Grove, Kingswinford.