I was brought up to be aware of the problems created by our car-dependent culture.

I can’t drive and think we need to act immediately to cut carbon emissions but though I live in a flat surrounded by the A23 one-way system friends were surprised to hear I was opposed to the idea of congestion charging in Brighton (The Argus, December 12).

Most people I know have to drive. They don’t have the luxury of living in central Brighton. Many can’t afford the £10 it would cost to take a family by bus to the beach or up to the Downs.

With congestion charges it will be those on low incomes forced out of the town centre, while the better off will simply pay the money and enjoy driving a little quicker.

The hundreds of millions of pounds it would cost to install the technology could be much better spent. Local bus services could be made free. Where this was done in one continental town ten years ago, bus use rose by more than 1,000%.

Residents of side streets could be given the power to close their street to all through traffic. More schools could be built to prevent the crazy amount of children ferried around our city each morning.

If the multimillion-pound congestion charging technology has to be used it doesn’t have to ration road space according to wealth. The same technology could be used to keep out all but essential car users – disabled drivers, those living or working in the centre or taking children to school.

Those who entered the zone illegally would eventually lose their licences so rich and poor alike would have an incentive to use alternative ways of getting into the centre Like many councillors, I would like to see a car-free city but if we are serious about social justice as well as the planet, ordinary people should no more be expected to pay for the climate crisis any more than we should be expected to pay for the financial crisis.

Dave Jones
Springfield Road, Brighton