Sir – After the car, it is the turn of the buses. What will be next? Probably the pedestrians. They have the temerity to clutter the pavements and even walk down Cornmarket.

In doing so, they are causing a nuisance and impeding the cyclists. They should not be allowed. This reminds me of Wednesdays in the ‘40s and ‘50s when the women from the villages came in on the buses for their weekly shop. Carrying around their shopping. First one bag — then two — then three etc. Then mid- afternoon carrying their load back to Gloucester Green bus station. Oh for the good old days. As for the use of Dotto trains to move pedestrians across the city — the name sounds right for Oxford. Ten years ago I came up with the perfect solution to Oxford’s traffic problems — I stopped going to Oxford. Talking to many people, they also came to the same conclusion — going to Swindon, Cheltenham, Reading etc. This of course is no help to the Oxford retailers.

The market towns around Oxford are much more car and user-friendly. Witney, delightful and free parking, Bicester expanding and very reasonable parking, Banbury, Didcot, Wantage, Thame etc. etc. etc. The list goes on, too many to list here and I will be criticised for leaving out many more.

These towns welcome the shoppers and are not blighted by places like ‘Puke Alley’. My sympathies lie with the retailers of Oxford. They have enough to contend with competition from the Internet and I don’t think John Lewis will bring salvation.

Shops need clients, clients need user-friendly and convenient transport. Wake up Oxford. It was once my city and I was proud of it. It was the centre of my universe, my apprenticeship was there, my qualifications from the ‘Tech College’. Now I have no feelings for it.

Brian Wallis, Middle Barton