SIR — The recent suggestion of a shared highway along The Avenue in Minehead doesn't go far enough to improve the shopping experience in the town.

I would suggest that a radical change along these lines would attract shoppers in the vicinity and improve not only the experience to shoppers but also to those who live and or work in Minehead.

I would go further and suggest that any car parks are free and residential streets have parking pay machines unless a resident's permit is displayed on the vehicle.

If the shop owners refrain from hogging the parking bays, then I have no doubt trade for them would increase.

Perhaps, there could be a good argument to have a decent multi-storey car park at the rear of the Regal Theatre with all the usual disabled concessions.

While we are at it, why not reverse the traffic flow in Summerland Road?

Having shared traffic streets in Minehead does not mean being ahead of trends - it means catching up with places like Bath and Exeter and the rest of Europe.

Let's not claim to be pioneers, let's admit it works elswhere and its time for change and to move forward.

Then we can get some new images on the website of how Minehead is and not what it used to be.

Jan Saunders-Singer,

Summerland Road,

Minehead.