My wife and I are in our late 60s and live 15 miles north of Hereford. We cannot walk or cycle to Hereford, bus services are totally inadequate and railway services from Leominster to Hereford are too infrequent to be of any use.

When driving to the A49/B3499 roundabout, on the A49, we negotiate 12 sets of traffic lights through Hereford. When driving to the A49/B3499 roundabout on the A4110, we also negotiate 12 sets of traffic lights. Traffic travelling north to south and vice versa, and which has no reason to pass through Hereford, has to do so. These vehicles increase local  pollution from exhausts and heat pollution from engines and air conditioning.

Local traffic shares the roads with vehicles which should be on a bypass, and has to stop and start more frequently at the traffic lights producing additional pollution.

Residents should be encouraged to cycle or walk to reduce traffic but many of them are elderly and cannot walk far or cycle.

Herefordshire Council must act now to construct the western bypass. Without it the city’s prosperity will suffer; visitors will not visit a city that is in decline and new industry opportunities will not materialise.

Richard Harris

Kingsland