Shake-up is needed to offset a parking levy

THE item on a possible workplace parking levy (WPL) for Leicester (Leicester Mercury, August 20) raises some very interesting questions.

I think Sir Peter Soulsby’s approach to this as mayor is absolutely correct, as there are many questions to be answered as to what would work best for Leicester and how it should be handled.

Fears about negative impacts of the WPL in Nottingham were largely unfounded, and I’m confident the same will happen in Leicester if a properly thought-out scheme is implemented.

However, this will take several years and Leicester certainly needs an improved public transport system more quickly than that. For example, a proper range of attractively priced, multi-company tickets is essential, not just in the city but the county too.

I regularly see people waiting at bus stops letting a bus pass them when it’s going where they’re going because it’s from the wrong company. This is a real “off putter”.

Information on all services needs to be easily available through various media at one click of a computer button. It can be done. And Leicester urgently needs proper city centre circular services, linking the railway and bus stations, business areas etc, preferably using electric buses, which are becoming more widespread elsewhere. This can be done quite quickly, while all the legalities, etc of the WPL are being sorted.

To conclude, Leicester really does need a WPL, but it will take a while to activate, and our streets are too narrow for trams to be considered, so we must be looking at significantly improved bus services.

Terry Kirby, chairman, Campaign for

Better Transport (Leicestershire)