WE are nearing the end of the process of losing Darlington’s much-maligned “throughabout”, but the failure of that scheme has been the subject of many discussions from the very start. It was an unmitigated disaster among motorists from day one, as many had been predicted.

The throughabout was part of a £12m scheme designed to ease congestion into Darlington town centre, but has received constant criticism from motorists since it first opened in 2008. It was a great idea in theory, but there just wasn’t enough space for it to work properly, so it just ended up causing major congestion.

Work started about seven months ago to convert it back into the conventional roundabout it was after it was accepted as being inefficient.

With lanes closed and work continuing, traffic is flowing great, even Yarm Road is better.

But there are many people wondering why it is taking so long? It could surely be done overnight. Turn the traffic lights off and put bollards to block the central carriageway and it’s done.

Do we really care what it looks like? The concern is the amount of money that has been wasted, no matter which pot it has come from.

Would the cash being spent for seven months of work converting it back to a roundabout not be better spent on the roads we already have. There is a pothole in nearly every road in town. There are junctions that need widening. There are plenty of better uses. For the amount it has cost, will we seen a gold plated rather than a conventional roundabout?