THE thorny issue regarding Southampton’s lack of Park and Ride facilities is once again being raised in your articles.

The Daily Echo originally printed an article on January 21, 2008 titled ‘Top Secret Plans to Ease Gridlock’.

The article stated that transport chiefs from Hampshire met to decide priorities for the future and along with other suggestions decided that Five Park and Ride sites on the M271 Junction 5 (Swaythling) and 8 (Bursledon) of the M27 and M275 Portsmouth were needed to meet future traffic growth.

The recent report by the Air Quality Scrutiny Panel passed by the Cabinet stated that Southampton council will re-evaluate the potential for Park and Ride sites for the City and depending on the outcome of this evaluation, include the proposal in the Local Transport Plan 4 update in spring 2016.

Based on progress to date it would seem that Southampton is unlikely to see a Park and Ride facility before the end of the decade.

Your reader Alan Reynard (Letters, July 27) suggests that the only land available is at Stoneham and an underground facility should be built at the playing fields.

Surely it would cost far less to purchase vacant land from Fords in Wide Lane which would be ideally situated to serve both Eastleigh and Southampton.

The vacant Ford workers car park has remained vacant for some time and could easily be converted into a Park and Ride.

The West Quay Watermark and Royal Pier/Mayflower Park developments will, if proving successful, draw many more vehicles into the city with resulting traffic congestionand pollution.

Winchester and Portsmouth seem able to provide this facility.

Why have we been waiting for eight years and still the council are re-evaluating the need?

Chris Hinds, Southampton