AS a Herefordian living in Redhill throughout my childhood, I remember the old railway track along the Great Western Way running from the very top of Newton Farm all the way down through Redhill, Hunderton, Barton to the Hereford train station.

Many of these tracks are still there, hidden away, but if you look along the siding of Bulmers in Whitecross Road (near Aldi) and below the bridge near Widemarsh Common you can still see the tracks to the station.

Anyone travelling into Hereford on the A465 Abergavenny Road or the A49 Ross Road will be familiar with endless queues of traffic that many of us have to endure.

Figures from surveys suggest 90% of Hereford’s traffic is local and in the absence of a much-needed bypass, I have often pondered on what could be done to take some pressure from these roads.

After a lot of thought, I suggested to our members on the Hereford Voice website possibly turning the ‘Great Western Way’ into a road, but then after several debates we came up with an even better idea, which is to use this route for a tram system which would also allow room for pedestrians and cyclists.

When recently visiting Istanbul I used the tram system for travelling around the area. It occurred to me Hereford could possibly implement a similar system along the GWW without too much disruption and a fraction of the cost of putting in a road without using prime agricultural land.

Trams are also eco friendly and silent as they are powered by electricity, so there would be little noise pollution. The beauty of this system is that cyclists and pedestrians can still use the route safely as there is plenty of room.

The route crosses the river so the tram would lift a lot of the motor congestion from the peak-time hotspots.

On returning home I published my thoughts on Hereford Voice and our Facebook page and I have been overwhelmed by the huge positive response.

I am now informed Albert Heijn (Left Bank) offered some years ago to fully fund such a project but I understand Herefordshire Council rejected it.

Surely this is an option worth considering.We already have much of the old railway line infrastructure in place, although some work to bring it up to date would be needed.

So far, many local people are supportive and in highlighting the idea in this letter I am hoping to gain even more support.

There is a long way to go before a tram system could be up and running but all good ideas have to start somewhere.

If you would like to read the comments including those from local councillors please visit our website at herefordvoice.co.uk or write with your views to the Hereford Times.

COLIN JAMES Glastonbury Close, Hereford