Sir – I read Ian Hudspeth’s comments (Report, July 9) of encouraging the use of Hanborough station. The new car park has proved a popular asset.

On weekdays it’s usually more than 80 per cent full (capacity 191). Planned expansion of Hanborough, were it to go ahead, is for more than 400 new dwellings. The developers in both cases are using the railway station as justification for their sustainable developments.

Dominic Utton (Off the Rails, July 9) describes his experiences with First Great Western service — in particular, a journey from Paddington to Oxford. Sadly, my experiences mirror Dominic’s in the delays and cancellations on the Cotswold Line, resulting in regular overcrowding when problems arise.

The A4095 through Long Hanborough, serving the station, is heavily congested during term-time peak hours.

It is often quicker to walk or cycle than to drive there.

If the planned local developments in Freeland and Long Hanborough were to go ahead, A4095 congestion would only get worse, impacting Bladon as well.

The remaining spaces in the station car park would be used by occupiers of the planned new developments.

Cycling may be an option. The existing pavement (A4095 north side) was divided to enable sharing by pedestrians and cyclists. Those cyclists who use this cycle track get cursed at by pedestrians.

When the cyclists transfer to the road, they take abuse from some drivers. Hence encouraging the use of Hanborough station may be laudable if you are within walking distance but encouraging extra traffic through Long Hanborough when the road is being used as an alternative to the heavily-congested A40 seems ill-advised.

Thought must be given to where houses are to be built in relation to where those people are going to be working.

Not everyone works in central Oxford so using Hanborough station is not the solution for everyone’s transport problems.

Kathryn Robson, Long Hanborough