Cruel parking fees

I am a pensioner and my great joy is singing with the York Musical Society after a university course at King's Manor and attending church at St Olave's.

All of these activities will have to cease because, at one fell swoop, the council has tripled the cost of parking.

Choir members are having to curtail or cut rehearsals because they cannot afford double parking costs for rehearsal and performance.

Does York want to lose its choirs and orchestras?

The university course is to be moved to Heslington. The city centre will die, restaurants and businesses will fail.

No doubt more elderly will go into care because of depression now that their social life is being ruthlessly, and selfishly, curtailed.

A single pound charge would be acceptable and easy to administer.

No wonder Leeds thrives while York decays.

People who treat their elderly like this do not deserve to be elected.

Mrs M Owen,

Hamilton Drive,

Acomb,

York.

...I WISH to strongly protest about the evening car parking charge in York.

I sing in a choir which meets in St Saviourgate to rehearse and performs in the Minster. In a concert week we have two extra rehearsals, plus the concert itself.

This will cost me three two hours of parking plus three hours for the rehearsal with soloists and orchestra - that is almost £12 a week.

As a pensioner who sings for pleasure this is unacceptable.

I have no evening bus service so I have to use the car in the evenings. As a long-time worker in York I shop, meet old colleagues and entertain visitors - all frequently in the city.

So I certainly contribute towards a thriving York.

In future, however, all my regular socialising in the evenings will take place outside the city, where there is no charge after 6pm for those of us who need to drive.

If City of York Council had set out to drive people away from the city in the early evening it could not have done a better job.

Mrs L Mason,

Water Row,

Cawood, Selby.

...York City Council's new evening parking charges are aimed at helping tourists and those who enter the city by bus and train.

Local residents wishing to use their own cars are forced to pay the new high evening charges.

This will deter local people from attending meetings of many clubs and societies and hobby leisure pursuits, many of which will fold.

Sheer greed!

David Quarrie,

Lynden Way,

Holgate, York.

...WHAT most people in this city want to know is when the elections come up again, are Labour councillors going to undo all the damage the Lib Dems have done when it comes to parking charges?

Keith Chapman,

Custance Walk,

Benedict Road,

Nunnery Lane, York.

...I AM a member of the Clarence Gardens Bowling Association and secretary of the York Open Bowls Tournament.

About 12 years ago York City Council offered the bowlers of Clarence Gardens the chance to self-manage their greens. This was taken up with alacrity.

The greens have improved with extra money being spent by the association on maintenance. This has saved the council thousands of pounds a year, because no full-time green keeper is required.

In the early days, car parking was no problem because street parking was available. We no longer have any street parking in the surrounding area.

I ask the council where it expects the bowlers using the facilities at Clarence Gardens can park their cars?

The nearest car park is Union Terrace, where any bowler having to park his car three or four times a week for the privilege of playing bowls at Clarence will have to pay between £12 and £16 a week.

Is it the councillors' intention to have a lovely park with three excellent greens standing idle because of the lack of parking facilities available?

Nobody can afford to pay the car parking fees being asked for the chance to play bowls in Clarence Gardens.

Our bowlers would very much like to meet a member of the city council to discuss this problem and, hopefully, find a solution before it is too late.

IK Farrar,

Melton Avenue,

Clifton,York.

Updated: 11:06 Thursday, April 01, 2004