AMELIA Washbourne (Letters, June 24) has come up with another simplistic idea about solving the often heavy traffic that passes through Hereford daily – the introduction of a "congestion charge" to make people seek alternative means of transport in the city.

It may have escaped her attention, but a glance at any half decent road map will reveal that Hereford is a major traffic choke point in the West Midlands/Welsh Borders region, and is traversed by thousands of motorists daily, because they have to come through it to get across it.

This is especially true of the north/south axis of the A49 trunk road that connects South Wales and the North West of England.

No amount of park-and-ride schemes, cycle lanes and footpaths are of any use to a 40ton truck en route from Newport to Warrington. Their only other option is the dreaded M6. No further comment needed!

Her vision of people and families happily walking and cycling everywhere is a non-starter in such a rural county as ours, particularly in winter time.

In the end, a congestion charge is just another tax that penalises ordinary people going about their lawful daily business, and we can do without that. 

Ian Jenkins
Hereford