Letter: Transport and tourism go hand-in-hand

The two clearly go hand-in-hand as the city can only cope with more tourists if it can find a way of moving them in, out and around without the centre becoming permanently gridlocked.

Unless this can be achieved, those of us who live in the city centre will - if we can afford it - move out in sheer frustration, leaving the central area to the bars, clubs and the noisy and, too often, violent and drunken night-time economy.

What then for the urban renaissance the council is trying to bring about?

Traffic gridlock also affects the tourists. What visitor wants to sit for hours in a car or coach trying to get in or out of Brighton when they could spend their money in cleaner resorts with better access?

For a city where tourism is so important, the so-called coach station is a disgrace. A major city such as ours deserves far better, with proper facilities for long distance coaches and adjacent interchanges for visitors who wish to travel to our major attractions.

When the railway station was revamped, a lot of effort was put into restoring the beautiful cathedral-like roof but where are the equally splendid facilities for passengers?

The toilets are disgusting, the refreshment facilities tired and the shopping minimal. What a shame part of the station site could not have been used to provide state-of-the-art transport-related facilities.

To make its tourism strategy work, the council needs to do more than cram in as many visitors as possible.

We are bounded by the sea and the Downs so have a limited supply of land in the centre available for new tourist facilities.

We must therefore manage our tourism better than we are doing at the moment and develop a clear strategy that has the support of businesses and residents alike.

At present, the latter are beginning to wonder if the strain on our infrastructure brought about by increased tourist numbers is worth the candle.

-Dr Alan Bond, Brighton