RICK JACKSON: What Gosport needs is a new road link around Portsmouth Harbour

I can't help but think the £8m being spent on the new section of Newgate Lane may not be the answer to solving the Peel Common congestion.
A queue stretching back from the Quay Street roundabout, FarehamA queue stretching back from the Quay Street roundabout, Fareham
A queue stretching back from the Quay Street roundabout, Fareham

This is because this new road is not complimenting the existing Newgate Lane, but replacing it.

Gosport is the UK’s largest town not served by the railway. In the past few years, millions have been invested to try to solve the bottlenecks that exist at Fareham as traffic heads towards the M27.

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We’ve seen the Bus Rapid Transport link road replace the old railway line, which has seen a significant increase in bus usage of the new Eclipse route. It’s also helped take some car journeys off the A32.

Newgate Lane itself has been widened between HMS Collingwood at the Longfield Avenue roundabout. This has improved the approach to Fareham, but the Quay Street roundabout is still the cause of most of the congestion.

It seemed a great idea to take Gosport/Lee-on-the-Solent/Stubbington-bound traffic on to the new section of road to the Peel Common roundabout and the existing section of road taking traffic into Fareham, with both as dual carriageways.

That would mean two lanes of traffic allowing for a better flow and would also speed up traffic leaving the Speedfield Business Park which has become an absolute nightmare now at busy periods. You pop into Asda for a loaf of bread, or to get some paint from Wickes, then spend half-an-hour trying to get out.

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But the plan is to close off the existing Newgate Lane, except for access to properties and businesses.

So how can this new section of road really improve things apart from improving flow with less traffic needing to turn off?

It seems the only real answer to help Gosport and the peninsula is to build a new road along the edge of Portsmouth Harbour linking the M27 directly.

It may cost a lot of money now, but in the long run I’m sure it would save us money and make Gosport an attractive business proposition.

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FINE FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT AND SERVICE IS ALL I’M LOOKING FOR ON A CRUISE

Apparently only eight per cent of people who holiday choose a cruise. In America, that rises to almost 40 per cent so you can see how cruise lines believe there is massive growth in the UK market.

The cruise lines make their ships destinations in themselves and now P&O has announced it is investing in not one, but two 180,000-tonne cruise ships.

These ships will be even bigger than Queen Mary 2. They will be well and truly aimed at the first time or family cruise market, but regulars seem to prefer the traditional, smaller Oriana and Aurora-style ships.

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For me, as long as the food is great, the entertainment memorable and service excellent, I don’t care how big the ship is.

I WENT TO A CHIROPRACTOR AND SUDDENLY IT ALL CLICKED

There is something very satisfying about having your neck and pelvis clicked back into place by a chiropractor.

For the past two weeks I’ve put up with a stiff neck and now a painful lower back, so off I went for treatment.

Acupuncture, massage and then some good old manipulation. Hot and cold packs, ibuprofen and corrective posture is helping, but after I got home, I left like a zombie! A hot bath and off to bed I went.

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I still don’t know how I caused the damage in the first place. Was it the gym? Playing squash? Or stupidly reversing into someone in Fareham?

Answers on a postcard to the ‘stupidly reversing into someone’ competition, The News, Portsmouth...