Recently the Oxford Mail produced a good feature covering the difficulties encountered by small traders in Cowley Road.

The Galeria Brasil faces closure, which is a great shame. The unique and individual traders of a community add a colour and a vibrancy which benefits us all. It is for this reason that I chose to side with the traders in the campaign against a controlled parking scheme in East Oxford.

Magdalen Road traders feel that they will lose a lot of business if the scheme goes ahead.

Economic scientists have shown that when traffic is prohibited from a street, the economic situation worsens in that area. Sometimes the result is a deprived slum.

For this reason I am backing the Say No Campaign to parking restrictions in East Oxford. Cowley Road traders are experiencing economic difficulties already as a result of an existing controlled parking zone.

The new layout of Cowley Road has probably not helped businesses either and they certainly lost a lot of revenue while roadworks took place.

This innovative winding road layout was also proposed by the Greens and, although well meaning, it has not helped local commerce.

Economists have proved that viable transport and parking is vital for the prosperity of a community.

SUSAN THOMAS, Magdalen Road, Oxford