IN the not too distant future, whether we like it or not, York will be free of motor cars.

Regardless of possible chaos in the Middle East, in ten years' time - we are told - oil production will begin to fall and petrol prices will begin to escalate.

Urban cars in the 2020s will be as rare as urban horse drawn vehicles in the 1920s.

Ten years will give us two more, four-year term, City of York Councils. Isn't it time that those who are in power and those who might be in power stopped trying to score party political points, and prepared a forward plan for the car-free city of coming decades?

What are York businesses, cultural societies, and organisations going to do when their customers, clients and members have no choice but to use public transport?

York is currently well ahead of most towns in the country in its development and use of Park & Ride. This is the near future. We must build on that.

If councillors, irrespective of their labels, cannot agree on a forward plan to meet changes forced on them by widely signalled, global economic and environmental events over which they have not the slightest control, it is no wonder that fewer and fewer people bother to vote.

Such an all-party plan would put car parking charges into perspective.

Maurice Vassie,

Deighton,

York.

...IN Chris Titley's Diary a suggestion was made that any council officer earning more than £40,000 per annum could take a voluntary pay cut of ten per cent which would raise enough money to offset any deficit in the council budget and offer a reason to cancel the recent increased parking charges (July 26).

This could go one step further. If every councillor examined their list of expenses and made a similar voluntary cut this would raise even more money.

I am unable to say how much this would raise because I cannot recall seeing any published list of councillors expenses for the last financial year. It would be nice if council tax payers could see how much expenses have risen, how many committees or authorities councillors have attended and if they have attended all that they are paid to.

AP Cox,

Heath Close,

Holgate, York.

Updated: 11:38 Monday, August 02, 2004