I REFER to the article ‘2012 ready to lift off at island port’ and the letter ‘Truth distorted by exaggeration’, (Echo, August 11), both of which are intriguing.

A helipad at Southwell Business Park is a very good idea.

However, the park is about 10km from the port, including a climb and a descent of 100 metres plus a single road one-way system.

There are other issues: * There is no alternative route.

* Traffic through Fortuneswell and Chesil regularly travels in convoy.

* A bus stopping, a poorly-parked car or an off-loading delivery lorry can cause regular tailbacks.

* A road accident like the diesel oil spill in Fortuneswell some months back will close down the island, Beach Road and Portland Road pushing back to Weymouth and Bridport from Foords Corner for, in the case of the oil spill, two to three hours.

With regard to the roads system in Weymouth and Portland: * £80million could have provided a bypass for Upwey and Broadwey cutting out the Ridgeway kink and bottleneck as well as Ridgeway Road railway bridge.

* £16million could have provided an alternative route from the Manor roundabout to Osprey Quay.

* Intelligent traffic lights added to existing roundabouts and junctions would have been a useful adjunct to funnel the Olympic traffic to The Esplanade, Pier and Osprey Quay.

To quote GK Chesterton ‘if a thing’s worth doing, it’s worth doing badly’, which Weymouth and Portland do only too well.

The Olympics will provide great publicity, but the borough will be hampered by the missed opportunity to improve the road system.

Cruise ships will no doubt call at Portland Port, but passengers will simply be coached to places of interest throughout Dorset.

The sailing fraternity will arrive at the academy, win or lose, enjoy the day and event and then go home.

Unless the borough grabs the opportunity presented to them by the Olympics, nothing will change.

JOHN ROGERS, Grove Road, Easton, Portland