Reader's letter - I KNOW lockdown has been hard on us all, and we have certainly all played our part in ensuring Herefordshire has consistently been in the lowest Covid infections deciles in the UK.

However, as a county we seem to be suffering the highest proportion of reduced intellectual capacity in our elected leaders compared to the country average.

I accept I have no professional training in planning nor traffic management.

However, I still possess the ability to ask basic questions about the vote that our Council has just passed cancelling the Western bypass (let’s not bring in the money already spent yet on this project).

So, my basic questions are these ...

The plan is for an Eastern bypass linking to the Rotherwas link road. Do we not already have an Eastern bypass?

Is it not already called the M50/A40? Are we proposing that we divert traffic off at J2 M50 through Parkway, Ledbury, Tarrington to then join the new bypass which will then rejoin the M50/A40?

Second question, all traffic coming south into Hereford on the A49. Are we sure they all want to stop in Hereford and use our proposed new bus routes or cycle lanes or maybe they just want to bypass the city to continue their journey?

Yes, I applaud the schemes proposed in how we Herefordians can reduce our reliance on using the car in Hereford City.

However, I struggle to understand how this decision to cancel the Western bypass will persuade traffic coming southbound on the A49 to switch to using the bus or cycle lanes.

Yes, we are in a climate emergency and, I would argue, many other more immediate pressing emergencies.

MORE OPINION:

Cancelling the bypass is total madness

However, have our leaders lost the intellectual ability to separate the fact that they are separate arguments and no matter how many cycle lanes or bus routes we create in the city, it will not stop the trucks from rolling down the A49.

Of course they also mention 10 years to complete the Eastern bypass.

My final question ... how long has the road to Fownhope been closed?

Of course there will also be a couple of elections...

Andrew Targett

Hereford

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