SIR – Regarding the current M62 misery caused mainly by work to the hard shoulder (T&A, November 5), it puzzles me why we have hard shoulders at all.

As I understand it, the argument appears to be that occasionally a car breaks down and prevents other cars using one of the lanes. Therefore, we should designate the left hand lane as a ‘hard shoulder’, blocking it off permanently to everyone. The ‘cure’ is worse than the disease. Better a temporary blockage than a permanent one.

I wonder what they would say if I suggested that for every school or hospital we should have another one nearby standing empty all the time just in case?

Now we are going to have gantry signs overhead set to the appropriate speed. But surely the appropriate speed is the speed that stops you bumping into the car in front? Do we need an expensive sign to tell us that?

And I notice the speed limit signs in the coned-off area say 11mph. Not ten or 12, but 11. I bet there are very sophisticated reasons why a service vehicle doing 10mph can safely get a move on, whereas at 12mph it will crash. No doubt some expensive consultants received a fat fee for working that out.

These are supposed to be times of austerity. Can’t we just get by without all this stuff? Can’t we just fine the folks who are chucking all this money away?

John Wilson, Wilsons Solicitors, New Road Side, Horsforth