WELL, Hereford has its long-awaited shopping centre up and running, and all the extra traffic problems associated with it.

Having had to travel through the city and back twice this week I had to put pen to paper again. Is it only the man/ woman in the street who can see the problems in advance, because it sure isn’t our council.

Extra traffic lights, more people crossing, no underpass (why?) and the glass flyover suggested by an independent councillor not taken up.

Shoppers stand in a miasma of cancer-inducing fumes and this pervades the whole area.

I saw an ambulance making its way, under blue lights, through the congestion with the co- operation of drivers moving onto pavements etc where possible. Even so, this congestion must make their passage harder and longer and ultimately threaten the life- saving abilities of these over stressed crews.

What to do? The council’s remedy is another inner relief road which would just move the problem to another part of the city.

As I have written before, an outer ring road joining up the spokes of the wheel but at rim, not hub, will alleviate much of this. The through traffic will go around. You only have to look at Worcester’s part- bypass to see how much it carries,.

Even those with the rural environment at heart must admit that health has to take priority and this abysmal situation has to be rectified sooner rather than later for everyone’s sake.

LEN MILNER Vine Tree Close Withington