7:40am Thursday 9th September 2010
Sir – Your front page article Drivers desert the city (September 2) was typically and disappointingly confused and simplistic.
So, the fall in the number of motorists using council car parks is ‘hurting the city’ is it? It’s not hurting air pollution levels, safety on the streets nor the general well-being of cyclists and pedestrians, that’s for sure. The point of car parking charges is, in part, to deter people from coming to the city centre by car, and as such is successful.
However, people choosing to shop elsewhere is only partly due to car park costs, as anyone interested in this issue is aware. I’d love to see an article about the increase in the number of people arriving by bus because of a decrease in bus fares, but won’t hold my breath.
One solution unlikely to be discussed (and one of a variety that could be implemented if there was the political will) would be to use the space freed up by the lack of cars in the Westgate car park to build significant numbers of desperately needed affordable housing. Then, in one go, there would be hundreds more potential shoppers already in the city centre who wouldn’t feel the need to drive there!
Deborah Glass Woodin, Oxford
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