DAVID DRURY, of Ford Valley, Dartmouth, writes:

Here we go again – parking meters and the magic cure.

How to solve the parking problems yet again with parking meters. What a load of rubbish.

I read in the Chronicle about a brain storming session at the Guildhall, held by the traffic management committee.

Townsfolk have been trying to tell them for some time what needs to be done but no one is listening, so a brain storming session won't be any good if no one is willing to listen.

How will parking meters solve our parking problems? They won't because they will cost the townsfolk who live and work here money that we can ill-afford.

The spaces will still get filled by the people who can afford them so that wont solve the problem.

It will, however, line the pockets of the fat cats of the councils who put them in place.

What also makes me angry is how the chairman of the traffic management committee thinks he has the right to put a multi-storey car park in the Mayors Avenue car park.

First of all the ground where it is suggested the car park can be placed has been reclaimed and to pile drive such an area and the build would cost a fortune.

Secondly, how many car park spaces will be achieved at such a huge cost?

Thirdly, where are we going to get the money?

Fourth point – the car park was given to the people of Dartmouth as was Coronation Park.

With regard to parking meters, again the chairman of the traffic management committee says that they could help subsidise an improved park and ride. Why should the park and ride be subsidised by the townsfolk?

If the traffic management committee had foresight it would spend any money on building a multi-storey car park on the existing site of the park and ride and the tariff from the cost of parking there used to subsidise the park and ride.

By doing this, the infrastructure of the town would not be disrupted and parking would be freed up in the town, with business zones and residents' parking areas put in place.

Also a designated park and ride bus stop could be centralised to cater for visitors who want to shop in the town.

Let the park and ride ticket could be valid for a day so visitors could come and go as they please and shop as much as they want.

Keep Dartmouth and its catchment area of villages for the local people and,businesses.

All we would need do is apply for a disc to confirm our postcode areas.

The parking problem won't go away because of the layout of the town.

The only sensible solution would be take the traffic out of the town. Until this happens we will never get over the problem of parking.