EVERY night, it seems we read of yet another instance of a local trader virtually forced out of business by the hike in car park charges or, however tenuous the link, the introduction of car parking charges during the evening.

As the operator of most of York's bus services, including the highly successful Park and Ride, I am bemused.

Much of the furore is based on the presumption that everybody who comes to York comes by car, and has no alternative other than to pay the car park charges.

This is not true. The Park and Ride offers an efficient and cost effective alternative to bringing the car into town while for residents we have our network of frequent bus services operating in some cases until midnight.

During the past three years the number of people using our bus services, including Park & Ride, has grown by more than 25 per cent. And compared to last April we recorded a 37 per cent increase in passengers travelling after 7pm during this April.

With nearly all of these extra people coming into the city we have to assume they have made a positive impact on the economy of the city.

These figures fail to take account of the further substantial growth we have seen since the all-day bus fare for York senior citizens was reduced by 50p in April.

The increased cost to the council of this concessionary fare scheme will, in part, be paid for from the income from increased car park charges but many more elderly people stand to benefit than the number of people disadvantaged by having to pay more to park.

So, if the traders are seeing no benefit from the growth we have seen, just who is?

Peter Edwards,

Commercial manager,

First York Ltd,

James Street, York.

...I CANNOT be the only person who is being increasingly irritated by the disingenuous arguments used by Councillor Reid when trying to justify the City of York Council's disastrous parking policy, in particular, the decision to charge the very high daytime charges until 9pm.

Coun Reid said that evening usage of council car parks increased in May by 1,600 vehicles (Letters, July 6). This equals 52 cars per day, or some 13 cars for each of the four most central car parks.

Surely Coun Reid must realise that if all on-street evening parking is banned under pain of penalties that bear no relationship whatever to the seriousness of the "offence", then visitors have no choice but to use car parks.

It would seem from the very small increase in car park usage that most have decided to seek their evening social and leisure activities elsewhere than in York.

JN Walton,

Moorgarth Avenue,

York.

Updated: 12:16 Wednesday, July 14, 2004