I couldn’t agree more with the comments of Simon Philips (Letters, September 16). I would also add this for all of Brighton and Hove’s restaurants, pubs, cinemas, theatres and shops:

We no longer eat out in Brighton’s restaurants, because of the parking charges.

We no longer go to the theatre, because of the parking charges.

We no longer go to Churchill Square or Brighton’s shops, because of the parking charges.

We no longer visit Brighton Pier or the seafront, because of the parking charges.

We no longer visit pubs or clubs, because of the parking charges.

We go to Burgess Hill, Crawley or Eastbourne – towns which see visitors and residents as a valued commodity and not just as some cash cow to be milked dry.

If the Greens want people to use our buses, they need to be a lot cheaper. If the Greens want people to sit in nice, brand-new bus shelters and ride on newly resurfaced roads then all our roads should be resurfaced and all our roads should have nice new bus shelters, and not just the roads leading to the universities.

S King, Ditchling Road, Brighton

Not only is the council taking excessive amounts of cash from the motorist but it is also creating a lack of interest in the city for visitors.

Parking charges both on-street and in off-street car parks has put people off coming to Brighton.

The traders have to pay high rents and rates even though facilities have been eroded by the introduction of more and more changes to vehicle access. I’m sure drivers would rather spend their cash on shopping and entertainment than give it to the council.

And then there are other schemes to look at.

The 20mph scheme is perfectly acceptable to the motorist when deployed in suitable locations such as near schools and play areas. It is not acceptable to blanket the city where it is not needed.

On top of this, Brighton Station is an absolute nightmare and its future seems doomed to get worse for buses and taxis with nowhere else to park. The final plans for this terminus are still being decided and I am not convinced things will improve for the majority of users.

The Lewes Road project has slowed down the traffic in and out of Brighton, as will the Valley Gardens project. Then we have the Seven Dials project, which is now ready to cause even more gridlock when its large roundabout is completed.

By and large everything that is happening roadwise is bad news for the car owner. We do not need this city to be at a standstill.

There is always a knock-on effect with serious consequences elsewhere, most probably driving traders from the city.

I don’t deny that something has to be done to improve traffic flow but making things more difficult for cars is not a satisfactory answer as people are already being forced to shop elsewhere.

Steve Percy, the People’s Parking Protest