Parking, driving and the quality of our air

Following Councillor David Cannon’s letter in last week’s Express (Viewpoint, November 13) on the new parking strategy, we have three positive suggestions.

There were two distinct parts to the paper that was brought to the council, to consider the new parking strategy and to launch a trial of a free (time limited) parking scheme in some of our car parks.

Parking is an important topic which should receive adequate scrutiny to get things right at outset rather than twisting and turning afterwards.

The obvious solution was to unlink the two elements and prepare to launch the free parking trial in November, in time for town centre businesses’ crucial preChristmas shopping period, which this year will be compressed by the current lockdown.

Publishing a significant 174-page strategy two days before it is to be discussed and then postponing the item at the meeting is not an ideal way to conduct important business.

Unless this decision was made impetuously on the spur of the moment, it would have benefited councillors of all parties to have been told they did not have just two days to finish reading the document and preparing to give a

considered response (as we have done together with our Lib Dem colleagues from across the Borough).

Lastly but probably most importantly, the document mentions alternatives to private car use such as cycling, walking, public transport (when things are more normal), car share, etc.

These need following through on. We all know about climate change and reducing emissions, and there is also the issue of poor air quality in some of our more built up areas.

Cllr JOHN BALDWIN and Cllr SIMON

BOND Lib Dem councillors for Belmont ward