T Minton of Hereford asks if Broad Street resurfacing is a done deal (From Hereford Times)

T Minton of Hereford asks if Broad Street resurfacing is a done deal

3:00pm Friday 17th August 2012 in Letters

HEREFORDSHIRE Council makes no secret of its aim for a “longterm gradual reduction of the use of edge-of-town off-street parking” in Hereford.

This will mean the gradual exclusion from our city centre of many people who are not wheelchair users, but who cannot walk far due to age, infirmity or disability. This is wrong. A city centre should be for everyone, not just the young, fit and able.

The latest phase of the council’s plan is the £2.8 million resurfacing of Broad Street, with its reduction in parking spaces generally and disabled bays in particular, quite apart from the closure of the street as the work drags on.

Like Gillian Bate (Readers’ Times, July 26), I attended the council’s promotional presentation on the subject – when I eventually found it, tucked away at the back of the Cathedral cloisters. It was interesting that the sign from Broad Street said simply “Exhibition” with no explanantion of what it was about. Perhaps that would have drawn more attention than the council really wanted.

I asked a lot of questions relating to elderly and disabled people and received dismissive answers. It seemed as if the presenters had a script, and I too felt that the decision had already been made.

Questionnaires were available and because I wanted to give thoughtful answers, I brought mine home with me, expecting there to be an address to post it to later. Wrong. It states that if not handed in on the day, comments should be sent to an email address – thereby excluding anyone who cannot access or use a computer.

I strongly object to the wording of one question: “Do you support Herefordshire Council ’s aim of improving the city centre?”

Presumably the council will see anyone ticking “Yes” as supporting these flawed plans.

Is this yet another of Herefordshire Council’s meaningless so-called ‘consultations’?

Will public opinion be heeded and these plans dropped, or will the council carry them out regardless? Time will tell.

T MINTON, Hereford.