A message from 'It's Our County'

[Colin James]

[ragwert]

Sorry but just turning off traffic lights on two roundabouts is just not good enough.
The who City road infrastructure needs looking at.

[Slim]

It's too late. They got in again, now time to re-line the back pocket.

[Frank Smith]

A lot of this makes sense and trials need to be put in place. Traffic lights in Hereford are a nightmare and unnecessary, especially at night.

[Bill Thomas]

Sorry but just turning off traffic lights on two roundabouts is just not good enough.

The who City road infrastructure needs looking at.

 

You have to start somewhere ragwert, it is very easy to dismiss idea's but the traffic lights are definitely an issue, do you have any suggestions of your own?

I am also in favour of a tram system along the GWW.

[Denise Lloyd]

Experimental small changes would be a cheap step in the right direction. Not only it might help the traffic situation but people would see that the Council is trying and open to new ideas without spending millions on something that will not necessarily work. 

[Maggie May]

If Herefordshire Council are looking to get money for a bypass around Hereford surely they have no interest in cheap, simple measures that will cut congestion. Sorry but that is why I got on my bike as I am expecting that for the next 5 - 6 years the Council will try and make the congestion WORSE. They can then say to central government how bad it is and how desperately they need the money for new roads.

 

What happened to all the money for High Town and the cycleway in St Owen St which were supposed to be simple measures for promoting walking & cycling - I expect that has been spent on something completely different. It certainly isn't in the list of capital projects in the Cabinet report that Colin posted up on another link.

From other posters comments it seems that in the next 2 years we will get even more traffic lights, this time 4(?) sets along the new City Link Road. Perhaps someone ought to set up a Bike vs taxi race across Hereford? I am sure there are plenty of cyclists who would love to take on Paul Rone in his taxi "Top Gear" style!  

[ragwert]

You have to start somewhere ragwert, it is very easy to dismiss idea's but the traffic lights are definitely an issue, do you have any suggestions of your own?

I am also in favour of a tram system along the GWW.

Quite a few Bill but I must start with your tram system.All very good but the cost would be huge and would need subsidising as running costs and maintenance would far out weigh the amount of revenue it would ever bring in.You only have to look at Birminghams tram system, has been running at a loss ever since it began.Manchesters is the same with the proposed extension being scrapped,and these are big Cities.

 

Here are a few of my ideas to keep traffic flowing.

1.Remove the traffic lights on Victoria St crossroads with Barton Rd & St Nicholas St and install a roundabout & pedestrian crossing.

2.Remove lights at the Victoria St Whitecross Rd and install roundabout.

3.Remove lights in Commercial Rd-Union Walk and reverse the one way system.

 

Our wonderful Council is about to make it even worse than it already is with the installation of dozens of traffic lights on the new Link road.

 

 

[LS86]

Isn't the grand scheme of this southern link road to eventually link Rothewas with the A4103 (Roman Road) creating a 'bypass' which everyone is crying out for?

[Cloudberry]

People who are "crying out for a bypass" can't have read the reasons why the Southern Link Road is not a good idea, and do not understand the implications. Campaigners are not saying No, just for their own benefit, but because they can see it's not going to work and most Herefordians will be the losers in the long run. Only those with vested interests stand to gain.

 

How do you fund a new road? Some from central government if you are lucky, the rest from developers prepared to build new houses.

If you build loads of new houses, is that bad? Don't we need them?

We need affordable homes so that people, particularly younger people, can afford to remain in Hereford. BUT affordable homes won't bring in lots of dosh, so developers will want to build mostly "executive homes" instead.

 

If the plans for all these proposed new houses on the edge of Hereford go ahead, like the 1200 at Three Elms, it doesn't take much imagination to realise that each property may have more than one car, and all those cars will be travelling in and out of central Hereford to go to shops, restaurants, cinema, football, schools, hospital etc. With city roads as they are, that means much MORE CONGESTION, and pollution from slow traffic in the city. And even less incentive to cycle instead if you can't breathe.

 

So you see, a "bypass"  in the sense of a fast road around Hereford could only be achieved if there were NOT all these accompanying huge housing developments being planned to fund it.

 

Housing developers may get planning permission, but they won't actually build unless they are sure they can sell. How many houses do you reckon will be built and sold in Hereford in the next year? Watch and see....

[Adrian symonds]

You have to start somewhere ragwert, it is very easy to dismiss idea's but the traffic lights are definitely an issue, do you have any suggestions of your own?

I am also in favour of a tram system along the GWW.

The issue is the amount of people who uses their cars just to go down the road. The issue is having a ring road that goes through the city and no the SLR will 

make no difference.

 

As for the tram idea that will benefit one part of the city and will anyone use it anyway? I think not because they do not use the buses wqe have got so why would they use a tram? The other thing who would pay for it?

[Colin James]

The issue is the amount of people who uses their cars just to go down the road. The issue is having a ring road that goes through the city and no the SLR will 

make no difference.

 

As for the tram idea that will benefit one part of the city and will anyone use it anyway? I think not because they do not use the buses wqe have got so why would they use a tram? The other thing who would pay for it?

 

I use my car most days to take my mrs to work and back as there are no buses that offer the same route! I also then leave the city most days as I work on the road.

 

The tram idea has been discussed on here for many years, you will find one of the tram topics here. My mrs would definitely use it daily as well as many of her colleagues.

 

It would be mainly funded privately by sponsors etc as for buses what buses? My mrs works near Holmer and there is no direct bus from Belmont on any day, there is a bus that can take her to Tesco (town) then there are only 2, yes 2 buses per day that go to Holmer and one is in the morning and the other is around 4pm, no good when most staff work until 5-8pm. A tram however, could go all around the back of Holmer using the old infrastructure which goes right up to the top part of Wiggins and also into the train station in the city serving the whole of; Holmer|Whitecross|City|Moorfields|Hunderton|Newton Farm|Redhill, right now the old lines is just used for cyclists and pedestrians and that is mainly limited to daylight hours, but it could accommodate all. 

[DILLIGAF]

Here here Colin well said.

[Glenda Powell]

It is pointless keep going on about a tram system, it won't happen. Many years ago Albert Heinz wanted a tram on the GWW, Herefordshire Council refused to consider it although there would not of been any cost to them, because Mr Heinz was going to not only pay for its construction but also maintain it. Again in the past two years there has been two Petitions requesting a tram system and the lights to be turned off at Asda, While Cllr Philip Price is with the Cabinet he will not consider it, and has said so many times.

[H.Wilson]

It is pointless keep going on about a tram system, it won't happen. Many years ago Albert Heinz wanted a tram on the GWW, Herefordshire Council refused to consider it although there would not of been any cost to them, because Mr Heinz was going to not only pay for its construction but also maintain it. Again in the past two years there has been two Petitions requesting a tram system and the lights to be turned off at Asda, While Cllr Philip Price is with the Cabinet he will not consider it, and has said so many times.

 

Yes we know about all that. Personally, I think it is a great idea and off course we should keep on about it! In fact, we should shout louder!!!!!

[twowheelsgood]

It is pointless keep going on about a tram system, it won't happen. Many years ago Albert Heinz wanted a tram on the GWW, Herefordshire Council refused to consider it although there would not of been any cost to them, because Mr Heinz was going to not only pay for its construction but also maintain it. Again in the past two years there has been two Petitions requesting a tram system and the lights to be turned off at Asda, While Cllr Philip Price is with the Cabinet he will not consider it, and has said so many times.

 

Rather closed mind approach to say 'it won't happen'. Cabinet members come and go, as we have seen with Cllr Powell, and elections can change the whole system (if people were rather less apathetic). The SLR may get called in, may be stopped by Government, the Council may have to look at alternatives, the permutations are endless and we should not dismiss options unilaterally because of the dictat of one person who, in the end, will be replaced regardless. We've already had Cllr Chappell on here with an equally closed mind approach, and who can only go on about how trams wouldn't make a profit (surprisingly for a former socialist). Technology moves at a fast pace - electric cars are here and are the future - (and self driving electric cars are coming) - in 20 years time they will be the norm. A tram system will no doubt be entirely feasible within that period. In fact we should stop referring to 'tram' because that relies on rails and is too restrictive, rigid and expensive to implement. Better options are already here.