Calls for water bus in Hereford

A Hereford councillor has called on the county council to consider a water bus as part of its transport plans for the city.

Central ward councillor Jeremy Milln believes Herefordshire Council should look into the possibility of using the River Wye to help ease traffic congestion on local roads.

He said some cities in Europe emission-free water buses in similar rivers.

The Green Party councillor asked today’s general scrutiny committee if they would investigate a similar proposal for Hereford.

“Many cities sited on major rivers augment their transport needs with water buses; closest to Hereford being perhaps Cardiff’s which ply the Taff between the Bay and the city centre,” he said.

“Some European cities have emission-free electric water buses of shallow draught and little wake, essential on rivers with low summer flows and high environmental qualities such as ours.

“Heather Hurley’s Herefordshire River Trade (2013) and Marsha O’Mahony’s River Voices (2018), document the Wye as Hereford’s HGV artery until the railway, with passenger ferries, able to cope with its dynamic behaviour, running almost to our own time.

“Although its potential as an electric water transport corridor connecting the riverside communities of Belmont, Broomy Hill, Hunderton, Greyfriars, St Martins, St James, Hinton, Putson, Lower Bullingham, Eign, Hampton and Rotherwas was not evaluated by the Study, would there be interest in doing so now?”

The council said a proposal for a water bus did not come forward in the Hereford transport strategy review consultation.

But Independent councillor Jennie Hewitt proposed that the cabinet should consider this type of proposal and the scrutiny committee has recommended that cabinet should consider it.

Council infrastructure and transport chief John Harrington decided to pause and review the proposed bypass west of Hereford and southern link road in August last year.

In January, council leaders agreed to spend up to £451,000 on reviewing the Hereford and South Wye transport packages.

And now the completed Hereford transport strategy review report sets out an assessment of potential future schemes.

Cabinet is expected to decide the next steps for the transport strategy at their meeting in December.