Sir – In a city which prides itself on intellectual capital, it is frankly bizarre that the county council, seeks to introduce a “one size fits all” parking scheme for the Cutteslowe area, which penalises a majority of innocent residents in the area and their genuine visitors, at the expense of a flagrant minority of irresponsible road users. In many roads, there is not a significant issue.

Indeed, many people in this area definitely do not want a controlled parking zone. It is totally inappropriate to alter the character of quiet residential roads on this basis to resemble some of the worst elements of an ‘urban London Borough’. One looks with concern, how the tentacles of this ‘parking monster’ are spreading across the whole city.

In some places, there is a need, in others there is not, equally one questions if the ideology is more driven purely by economics than respect for residents and their community? For example, council parking charges in Cutteslowe have exacerbated parking for immediate residents. It is a cheek to charge everyone for the problems they have created.

If everybody in the city is loaded with charges for parking outside their properties, this is another form of taxation.

The council tax rise is a marginal percentage below when a referendum would otherwise be called. Perhaps we should have one? A greater priority is to deal with safe access on the corners of roads and deal with issues more sensitively and selectively, rather than indiscriminately ban everyone in the street from parking. I hope you are listening and common sense will prevail.

David Stone, Oxford