SIR - The money we pay in council tax may be scandalous, but how fortunate we are to have such wise people to spend it.

We have a new example! In the old days, every time we locals left the M3 for Winchester centre, we always worried ourselves silly about how long the two-mile journey through St Cross would take.

But no more. At the Badger Farm roundabout the planning people have cleverly installed an enormous digital information board that takes the mystery away.

Most days it declares, Likely journey time 4 mins'. Occasionally, and worryingly (how clever that they know!) the figure rises to five.

Motorway signs are not the prettiest things, but this one is thoroughly thoughtful.

It reminds me of those computer screens that the council officials put in countryside bus stops all around Hampshire to tell us likely arrival times.

What a shame none of them ever worked, and that they quietly disappeared.

But how good it is to know there are lots of ideas about how to spend our money.

Caty McDonnell, Cliff Way, Compton Down.