RECENT letters make clear the problems from the proposed withdrawal of the 73 bus route between Lydney and Chepstow. But is this cutback necessary?

The reason is that few people travel on this section. Now this has two causes. Firstly not many people live nearby. Nothing can be done about this.

Secondly there is no magnet comparable to Gloucester at this end of the route. Such a magnet would attract people from other parts of the route to travel between Lydney and Chepstow. In comparison places such as Minsterworth have excellent services because of the many people travelling to Gloucester.

There is a magnet – Cribbs Causeway near Bristol. This attracts many people from Monmouthshire who keep the X14 route flourishing. So the solution is not to cut the 73 route but to extend it to Cribbs Causeway, making shopping trips and visits to Bristol easy.

There is a further improvement, to link the 73 with the route from Cribbs to Clevedon and Weston-super-Mare. Trips to the seaside would bring even more passengers. – Bryan Pugh, Aylburton.