I HAVE been watching York City for over 70 years and a season ticket holder for quite a number, but I am sad to say that this is my last season.

When the move to the new community stadium was first put forward I envisaged the parking problems well before they were made public (Stadium parking ‘will be chaos’, fans warn, The Press, January 10).

Initially it was suggested a bus service would be provided from the city centre to the ground.

This is all well and good when supporters go to the ground in dribs and drabs, but how many buses are going to be provided to get 2-3,000 supporters back to the city centre?

It is also obvious that the traders at the nearby shopping centre will not welcome the supporters as they have reduced their parking times on match days.

Visiting supporters have no idea what they face when they get there and I can see that the gates will fall dramatically because people cannot park or have to pay an extra £10 to do so.

When the decision was made public about where the new stadium was to be I gave a lot of thought about what to do and decided that at 78 years of age supporting York City was going to be more of a toil than a pleasure.

So I have resigned myself to sitting at home in my armchair and listening to the game on the radio.

A.P.Cox,

Heath Close,

Holgate, York

A stadium with no parking would be a white elephant

THE brand new community stadium at Monks Cross is due to be opened soon, we are told. Do the citizens of Huntington realise that their streets are going to be inundated with cars searching for parking spaces every match day?

Despite pleas from York City FC and the Knights, City of York Council have decided in their wisdom (and to meet their green objectives) to impose a travel plan on the fans that dictates that they will travel there by public transport, cycle or walk - despite many of them, including myself, being of advancing years. This after COYC decided the development was to be on an ‘out of town’ shopping park designed for all other users to access by car.

A maximum of 400 car parking spaces have been allocated at the Park and Ride car park for matches and all other spaces will be on restricted hours to prevent football traffic.

The many York City fans who live outside York itself and all away fans will either come by car or a few by rail. Most of the City and Knights fan base will need two bus journeys to get to the stadium and back. There will be total chaos at big games.

The reality is fans will probably eventually give up, both clubs will struggle, fade and die financially and we will be left with an empty white elephant.

Alan Raimes,

Runswick Avenue, York