It is such a relief to see both sides of Kingston Road reopened this week .

The obvious inconveniences it has caused businesses, residents and commuters were becomming clearer by the day.

The overriding feeling among the people of Raynes Park is the gas works took far too long.

Residents and business owners all told me how days would pass with no workers on the road at all.

The pace picked up dramatically in the final few weeks of the project, with many predicting that the work could have been finished by February if it had been like this from the start.

It may still be months before the affected businesses start picking up again.

Brain Patel, the owner of Sheena News, told me that his takings were down £10,000 on this period last year.

He added that his biggest fear is not how much compensation he will receive, rather, how many of his former customers will return to using Kingston Road when travelling to and from work, now being used to their alternative routes since November.

There is anger and frustration in the air, and even though the roadworks have moved on, those left behind to carry on with their daily lives may not be able to move on as soon.

Lessons must be learnt from this.

Members of Raynes Park Residents Association and others have suggested that next time something like this happens, the company can't just be allowed to tell people what is happening.

The media, the residents and the businesses need to get more involved in the planning of these projects to make sure this doesn't happen again.

Based on information supplied by William Tomaney.