It is depressing to read that the councillor with executive responsibility for the environment has dismissed out of hand the proposal for a study of a tram system for Brighton and Hove because the streets are too narrow (The Argus, March 22).

The trams in Croydon run in streets as narrow as anywhere buses operate in Brighton and Hove, which makes one wonder if Councillor Morley has even bothered to look at the Croydon system.

Indeed, one wonders if he knows anything at all about the subject because there are dozens of places on the Continent where trams run through narrow city streets.

The whole point about trams is that they are flexible and versatile and can be slotted into all sorts of tight situations, including some where buses cannot run at all.

They are also clean and quiet. The Croydon trams make little more noise than a milk float.

In Brighton and Hove, we have a bus lane, currently a notorious accident black spot, from St Peter's Church to the seafront, which could be converted to a reserved-track tramway as well as several one-way systems where trams could run quite easily.

There is also the example of Karlsruhe in Germany, where street trams share tracks with ordinary suburban trains.

If adopted here, this model would allow trams to run both on the city streets and along the coastway line to Lewes and Worthing, thereby relieving some of the most congested sections of the A27.

The Croydon Tramlink has been a key element in an imaginative environment management scheme which has transformed a dull suburban centre into a pleasant place in which to relax and walk around and is seen as an important component in the regeneration of run-down areas of the town centre.

Brighton and Hove claims to be a Capital of Culture but what kind of culture is there about the present incessant battle on its streets between pedestrians and other traffic?

If we are serious in our bid for recognition, the problem has to be addressed and it is likely some kind of fixed-track street public transport system will form part of the solution.

What a pity, therefore, that those in charge of the city are unwilling even to consider the idea.

-Henry Law, Queen's Gardens, Brighton