I agree with Godfrey Marks' comments (Wiltshire Times, December 12) concerning Bradford’s proposed Historic Core Zone. Improving conditions for pedestrians is, of course, a worthwhile aim, but impeding traffic flow on a major through route will inevitably lead to traffic jams, which always worsen air pollution.

If the scheme therefore proves to be unacceptable in practice and abandoned, which has happened in similar circumstances elsewhere, large amounts of our money will be wasted.

Traffic congestion continually gets worse due to the rapid increase in housing development recently built and being planned in our region, so the only realistic long-term solution to Bradford’s traffic problems is the bypass.

Expensive yes, but the benefits would be numerous and significant, and regarding cost, at present our current politicians have committed enormous sums to HS2.

We blithely talk of billions nowadays but these figures are so huge they become incomprehensible.

HS2 will cost every person in the country approaching £1,000 or one million pounds for a large village, just to knock a few minutes off the train journey time between London and Birmingham. Not very good value for West Wilts residents! I would suggest that most of us would much prefer our money to be spent on local road improvements.

A.W Anderson, Friary Close, Westwood, Bradford on Avon.