Sir – Your correspondent was wrong to see a political motive behind the plan to introduce a Controlled parking Zone (CPZ) in East Oxford, and it is paranoid to interpret it as a mere fundraising exercise (Letters, April 15).

Like most people, we wish we could park our cars when and where we choose. If Mr Lewis can easily do this where he lives, he is lucky.

To find a car parking space in our street in East Oxford, here are some of those with whom we, our neighbours and our visitors have to compete: theatregoers arriving for performances at the Pegasus; worshippers at a nearby mosque; professional carers visiting our house and others; parents leaving children at a playgroup; car-owners in houses with multiple occupancy, and in term-time students who cannot find spaces immediately outside their own dwelling; taxi drivers, builders and motor repairmen who permanently keep their work vehicles in our residential street.

There are also commuters who then take the bus into town to avoid car-parking fees in the city centre.

All these, and others, frequently park their cars in front of our houses. Residents’ drives are often blocked, cars park on double white lines on a busy intersection with the Iffley Road, and there is abuse of disabled parking badges.

We also have to leave access for emergency vehicles needing to reach a large old persons’ residential home. This demand for parking space and the monitoring of motorists’ behaviour requires a car management plan: we cannot arrange that ourselves.

Far from having a car parking plan (a CPZ) arbitrarily imposed upon us, we have been extensively consulted about our parking needs over a long period of time.

Councillors, officers and consultants have listened to what we had to say, amended their proposals in response, and put on an exhibition for us about what the plan might be like.

Richard and Kate Wilson, Oxford