When will the powers that be understand that while walking and cycling are beneficial (“Big changes for our town centres”, June 25) not everyone can walk or cycle?

Making permanent closures of certain town and city streets to all traffic except cycles and deliveries in order to ‘embed walking and cycling’ in the population will make whole areas into no-go areas for many members of the community – people who may not consider themselves disabled but who, for a variety of reasons, simply cannot walk very far.

The closure of Broad Street, King Street, East and West Streets and the Old Wye Bridge in Hereford, would, for example, limit access to the cathedral, St Francis Xavier Church, Hereford Library and Museum and the Green Dragon.

The blue badge scheme is intended to allow people with mobility problems to park close to their destination.

Pedestrianisation is not an advantage to everyone. Not all disabled people are wheelchair users. Has Herefordshire Council consulted any disabled people or disability groups?

T Minton
Hereford

Before the council fiddles with traffic flow yet again (their track record in this regard has been abysmal for several decades), they should consider how their electorate actually uses each street.

It should realise that regular and frequent access is needed to the Broad Street/King Street area of Hereford because it contains banks, specialist shops and two well-attended churches, as well as the cathedral and the Quaker Meeting Hall.

These serve the whole city and all the surrounding villages, not just those who live within walking distance.

Public transport? Even if one is fortunate enough to live near a convenient bus service, buses pollute more obviously than cars, and they do not run on Sundays.

The proposed traffic ban will not apply to bicycles or deliveries - no mention of the disabled (nor, I note, of hearses, wedding-cars, taxis etc, or do these count as ‘deliveries’?).

The young and fit may well be happy to walk or cycle, in all kinds of weather, the time-consuming round-trip from Hampton Bishop, Bartestree, Bodenham, Wellington etc, and should be encouraged to do so, but the elderly and less mobile cannot - are they to be completely deprived of church worship, bank visits?

The only practical way the needs of the elderly and less agile can be met is by car, which means being able to park relatively close to the venue, with the provision of disabled parking spaces for the eligible.

Instead of playing with yet another ill-thought out scheme, which will bring misery to a considerable part of the electorate, why not tackle at least one previous severe mistake and put right the deceptive kerbs in Widemarsh Street?

Carola Morton
Hereford