HOW good it is to read that the long-overdue Cow Lane widening is soon going to start (Reading Chronicle August 24).

Not only will road transport and cyclists benefit, but it is to be hoped that pedestrians also, will finally have a safer way to walk between these two bridges, and that no longer will they have to negotiate the illogically-designed unequal pavement under the 5-year old replacement bridge at the south end, where some idiotic designer (who obviously hadn't pedestrian safety in mind, made the pavement width 15 feet on one side, and barely nothing on the other.

It's been a disgrace, bordering on the negligent, that it wasn't designed with equal pavement widths on both sides.

Stephen Derek Fairford Road, Tilehurst

SO Network Rail at last have decided that they are going to get on and remove the old brick bridge at Cow Lane and complete the project that they started some 8 years ago.

I hear them say they are working to a tight timetable and all works must be finished by July of next year in time for Reading Festival.

Let’s not hold our breath, Network Rail have failed to meet any of the targets on any of the works surrounding Reading Station and the upgrade of track from here to Bristol and beyond.

Might I suggest that Reading Borough Council starts planning now for Network Rail to fail and work out exactly how we are going to deal with all the festival goers next year.

Yours faithfully, Philip Voke Reading