Letter: Parking charges are self-defeating
I have just collected a modest bet I had with my wife a few months ago. This was to the effect that Telford & Wrekin Council would not take long to realise that there was "money to be made" by imposing charges at the popular and currently free car park at Dark Lane near Telford Town Park.
This is really what is meant by their spokesman Mr Griffin, when he speaks of "economically challenging times". More to the point, he is simply falling in line with a concept held by both local and national Government of all political shades.
This is, that those in a position to run a car should not complain when treated as a "Milch Cow" from whom it is perfectly reasonable and just to extract money on each and every occasion that it is possible to do so.
Most people use this car park, like myself, for enjoying the paths, woods, and pools of the town park and will simply find somewhere else to park of which there are several instances.
Most of the receipts will be from buses bringing parties to Wonderland and the operators will simply recover their increased costs from their customers.
Finally, from where does Mr Griffin get the quaint notion that people are abusing the Dark Lane facility to avoid the parking charges in the town centre?
Does he really believe that folk are prepared to struggle for nearly a mile, laden with shopping just to avoid the charges? I think not.
Fred Brian, Telford
