I am in agreement with Mr Bond’s letter regarding the railway (Free Press August 3). To try and turn back the clock to a railway of the 1950s/60s would not work.

Who would want to travel by train to Taunton to work, or even shop, with a long trek to the office or town centre?

Back in the 1950s/60s we were used to walking but now is the age of the car and people like to park close to the shops or the office.

Coming the other way, holidaymakers would be left stranded in Minehead if they travelled down by train, along with their luggage. No-one can afford to run a fleet of taxis just for the summer, coupled with an unreliable bus service to take them around the area. 

Not having the heritage railway would kill the tourist trade. The beauty of this area is the countryside and visitors need a car to look around. After all, Minehead is not the only tourist area.  

What we clearly need is a decent A road, bypassing the villages from Williton to Minehead. This would benefit the whole area and not just the tourist trade. 

Local people deserve a decent road that does not cut their villages in half. They are the ones living here and travelling on the roads day in, day out, commuting to work, travelling to schools and just getting around without the danger of increasing traffic queues passing through their villages.

All deliveries to the Minehead stores come by road – two ways, there and back.    

I say leave the heritage railway alone and give us a decent by-pass that will benefit visitors and local people alike.

Jackie Binding, Doniford Road, Watchet.