Nevertheless, our research did show that of the top 30 biggest towns in England without a railway station Haverhill was by some distance the furthest away from its nearest one – and that was Dullingham, which I am sure nobody uses because it can't take you very far.
Therefore, it would seem unlikely anyone is going to arrive in Haverhill thanks to a railway journey alone.
Some people think the railway could be re-instated and others think that is an impossible dream, but whatever camp you are in you have to admit one thing – if anyone is ever going to arrive in Haverhill by train again it will be way in the future, in fact (forgive the pun) a long way down the line.
So, in considering Haverhill's future and the promotion of the town in general, one should probably for now dismiss the railway station as a first impression of the town.
The realistic alternatives are car, taxi and bus.
The other day someone drew my attention to an article in a national newspaper where, in the light of the new free bus travel for over 60s, someone had tried the longest journey in a straightish sort of line which you can do in England, from Land's End to Lowestoft, by bus.
The article was generally encouraging, with only one place where they had to hitch a lift because there was no bus service.
The writer described the bus ride from Saffron Walden to Haverhill as the most enjoyable of the whole venture, because of the beautiful countryside and villages.
She went on: "But Haverhill bus station was awful. The shelters had been vandalised, our planned bus to Bury St Edmunds only ran in term time – or was it school holidays? – and we had to backtrack to Cambridge to find another."
Not a great impression to create on the casual visitor.
So the other alternative is by car, or taxi from Cambridge or Audley End stations (costly).
The approach to Haverhill is favourable by road and the roundabout sculpture may impress, but only if you ignore the fly-tipping in the layby and one has to hope the occasional stink around Sturmer Arches would not be encountered.
But in an increasingly energy-conscious world, where sustainability is one of the big issues, to have a town whose only partially-favourable first impression is by car has its drawbacks.
There was a plan for a new bus station in the pipeline, but it seems to be on hold until all the other Ehringshausen Way development is completed.
One might expect, in the furthest away from a railway station of our larger towns, that there would be an extra-special effort spent on its bus services.
The opposite is, in fact, the case and the only concern anyone seems to have about Haverhill's buses is how frequently they run to Cambridge, as if the only requirement of anyone arriving at the town's bus station were to leave Haverhill as soon as possible.
Some travel writers have recorded that as their reaction to Haverhill.
We who live here would like to think differently.
We have a lot here which is worth being proud of and showing off to people who happen by on a journey to somewhere else, or who are considering relocating here and want to have a quick look round to assess the town.
It can't be beyond the wit of those in authority, with a small but worthwhile cash outlay, to tidy up the bus station and remove the vandals.
If that isn't possible, there doesn't seem much point in building a new one at all.
After all, everyone was quite proud of this one when it opened – but it is just another example of capital expenditure not being supported by the necessary maintanance provision.