IT seems the decades-long attempts to clear Colchester High Street of traffic have hit the end of the road.

For more than 30 years councillors of every political persuasion have tried - and failed - to create a pedestrian-only High Street.

But now the need for the High Street to be a thoroughfare, not least for buses on a rapid transit system from a potential garden community, cannot be ignored.

Colchester councillors have looked with envy at town centres such as Chelmsford and Ipswich where shoppers can walk safely without dodging traffic.

In addition to the aesthetic pleasure of a traffic-free retail centre, there are also environmental reasons for trying to reduce vehicle access to the town centre.

The area’s air quality is poor and action must be taken to improve it.

Over the years, many schemes have been suggested including reducing traffic at certain times of the day.

But each has failed including because delivery vans need access or disabled drivers need to be able to park in the town centre.

The simple truth is, despite the best of intentions, traffic will continue to rumble through Colchester town centre.

There is simply nowhere else for it to go.

Re-routing traffic will just create new problems.

At the end of the day, as good and straight as the Romans built Colchester’s road, they had no idea 2,000 years ago how busy they would become.

Anyone with ideas of how to resolve this...answers on a postcard please.