Car parks should be made free

I agree wholeheartedly that parking on the pavement in the Parade in the manner shown in the photograph in the last week’s Courier is totally unacceptable but what choice do motorists have in this part of town if they do want to stop and make a quick telephone call or pop quickly into a local shop? The street markings are so unfriendly and there is no enough room on the carriageways for buses, cars and cyclist to pass all in one go.

When will politicians realise that motorists are the lifeblood of retail and must be welcomed and encouraged to come into town? If they make it more difficult for cars not only to come into town but also to park they injure trade. The traffic management scheme in central Leamington failed a long time ago. It’s time something was done about it.

All unnecessary street markings should be removed. The carriage ways along the whole of the Parade, Warwick, Regent and Portland Streets should be returned to their regency widths that would allow more than sufficient street parking for such stops. Parking should be free in all the town’s multi-storey carparks to encourage motorist to use them and all traffic enforcement suspended from Monday to Friday to persuade motorists to shop in town. Parking on pavements would be much less likely to happen, as a result.

Richard Lemberger, via email