Sir – Several of your correspondents have written about the problems of public transport in Oxford (Letters, October 18).

The suggestion has again been made that trams or light rail would be suitable.

Although there are excellent light rail systems in Oxford’s twin cities, Bonn and Grenoble, Oxford is not large enough to generate sufficient traffic to justify the high cost of light rail. When Leeds and Liverpool have been refused tramway systems, what hope is there for Oxford?

Also, the street plan of central Oxford could not accommodate trams without a complete ban on road traffic. For efficient operation, trams need exclusive, or priority use of city streets. In cities such as Sheffield and Croydon, there are parallel routes to which road traffic could be diverted to give the trams a clear run, but it would not be possible to close St Clements to road traffic, for example.

I do not understand Dr Andrew Pritchard’s argument for an “Oxpens Transport Hub”, when there is already a good transport hub at the existing station. The cost of building a new station in Oxpens would be enormous, it would generate more traffic in Hollybush Row, and Botley Road bus services would no longer be able to serve the railway station.

However, I was pleased to read Peter Headicar’s proposal that a rapid transit route between Witney and Oxford would reduce the pressure on the A40.

For some years, Railfuture has been proposing that the formation of the old railway line should be used for a light rail line to Witney and Carterton.

Martin Smith, Abingdon