Sir – In an example of Toytown democracy, at 10am on March 22 a single councillor — Rodney Rose, will decide in a meeting at County Hall if a residents’ parking zone will be introduced in East Oxford.
Residents with strong views on the zone may wish to join others in assembly outside County Hall beforehand, and speak at the meeting.
At a public meeting on February 16, only a handful of residents spoke up for the scheme being introduced in the section between Magdalen Road and Howard Street.
Almost all were against, for example, because of the permit charges the county will impose, the limited number of visitor permits, and simply because most felt the scheme will not ease parking in their streets.
The scheme has already been rejected in the recent past, but the county keep coming back and seem insistent on riding roughshod over local wishes: they will not promise to base the March 22 decision on recent feedback from local residents.
Contrary to previous publicity in your paper, the Magdalen Road traders present at the meeting were strongly opposed to the zone coming in due to the likely effect on trade. Let’s hope the county will listen to the views of local residents.
Richard Tarver, East Oxford Labour Party
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