SOMETIMES it pays to hold up your hands and admit you have made a mistake. It's a bit daunting when people have to operate in organisations which seem to solve problems by finding a scapegoat to take all the blame, but it usually works out better in the long run.

As we have seen in the wake of rail disasters and other tragedies, those in charge of the corner and cost-cutting organisations dodge responsibility.

With massive organisations like local authorities the first tactic when accused of making a blunder is to deny that any blunder has been made at all. This was the case with the protruding pavement on the Addingham to Silsden Road. In order to erect a 30mph sign close to a very narrow pavement at the entrance to Silsden, Bradford highway engineers constructed a pavement platform which stretched about three feet into the carriageway.

Luckily for everyone concerned, there were enough immediate complaints to make them remove it soon after; before the almost inevitable serious accident occurred, although there were plenty of near misses. At night drivers could not see the obstruction until it was too late.

Recently, we are confidently told that there is no problem with the traffic lights on the A65 at Victoria Avenue. Drivers sitting in a massive traffic jam outside Addingham disagree and sooner or later someone at City Hall will recognise their difficulty.

But the roundabout on Cowpasture Road is beyond a joke. From the first day it was installed, drivers, passengers, pedestrians and residents have been left scratching their heads at the simple unsuitability of the structure. It does not work, no-one will ever believe it will work and the sooner highway engineers accept the fact that they have erred the better all round.

We don't want anyone to blame - we are not looking for a scapegoat - and we accept that nobody is perfect and always gets it right first time round. But for goodness sake please get rid of it as soon as possible.