Cut car parking charges in city

On Friday I popped down to the big Sainsbury’s to pick up some shopping and was dismayed to find the large car park almost completely full. Expecting the supermarket to be packed to the rafters, I tentatively donned my mask and mentally prepared myself for some extreme queuing. However, on entering the shop I was surprised to see it was no more busy than normal.

I wonder if the high occupancy of Sainsbury’s free car park could have anything to do with the council raising the cost of using our municipal car parks to a level higher than much of central London? A short walk along the river told me that St Radigunds car park was not particularly busy which would certainly indicate as much.

One of the problems with increasing car parking charges is that visitors won’t stay as long. Anyone staying in Sainsbury’s for longer than two hours will automatically get fined, but with the hourly charge in the city centre currently set at an eye-watering £2.90, a leisurely lunch followed by a stroll round the city centre starts to become prohibitively expensive. More churn in the car parks also means more traffic on the ring road. And more traffic means more exhaust fumes, which isn’t exactly great for the environment.

I’d like to see car parking charges reduced. If people want a space, they’ll have to get into town early. If you get into town late and all the signs say full, you’ll have to use the Park and Ride. Having all the car parks fully occupied as much of the time as possible seems the best way of drawing shoppers and diners back into the city centre post-pandemic.

Alex Lister

Liberal Democrat candidate for Westgate and Canterbury City North

■ The opinion piece 'Pandemic will shape how we live and work in the future' by Richard Scase [Gazette, April 8] makes interesting reading. Working from home, at least some of the time, is certainly going to be a feature of many office workers' lives. Not having to travel to offices has benefits but can also leave people feeling isolated or struggling to find space for paperwork and laptop in what may be already cramped living conditions. If we can offer these new locally-based home workers flexible and affordable access to

office spaces - underused council office space perhaps? - then the local economy can benefit from money spent in our city at lunchtime and after work that previously would have been spent in London or on petrol and fares.

Shopping habits too have changed - and with online shopping here to stay, our high street needs to offer leisure, social activities and other experiences as well as the traditional goods from shops. Equally, our World Heritage buildings and fabulous city walls and gardens could be so much more enticing for visitors if only they were encouraged to spend more time exploring and enjoying what we have to offer.

In order to entice workers, shoppers and visitors to energise and stimulate our city centre economy, I propose the city council takes the bold step of abolishing Park and Ride charges. Removing at a stroke a major incentive to drive into the centre, we can clean up our environment, move more quickly towards our carbon neutral target and breathe much needed life into our city centre. Many people say that out-of

town shopping centres offer a soulless experience but at least the parking is free. Well, why not beat them at their own game? We could have a city economy full of pedestrians who have flocked here from across the county and beyond to enjoy the city and spend their money - a better way of filling the council coffers than the current stale failed formula of ever increasing parking charges. Pip Hazelton

Labour and Co-operative candidate Westgate

This week’s letters pages are dominated by discussions on parking and traffic in Canterbury