THE thorny issue regarding Southampton’s lack of park-and-ride facilities is once again being raised in the comments pages.

The Daily Echo originally printed an article on January 21, 2008, titled ‘Secret plans to ease traffic bottlenecks’. The article stated that transport chiefs from Hampshire meet 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.

Winchester and Portsmouth seem able to provide this facility, why have we been waiting for nine years and still the council have done nothing?

Your reader Bob Barton (Daily Echo September 22) asks why Southampton council remain silent over the issue and continue to encourage vehicles into the city.

Could the answer be the fear of losing the revenue from parking charges?

A Daily Echo article in 2015 stated that Southampton city council raised £4.25 million from parking charges in 2013/2014 rising to almost £5 Million in 2014/2015. No doubt the figures for 2015/2016 will have grown with the introduction of night time parking charges.

Park-and-ride brings many benefits: public transport is enhanced, traffic congestion is reduced, travel and parking are cheaper, pollution is reduced the environment improved and business of all kinds in the city is supported.

Based on progress to date, it would seem that unless the council finally wakes up to the problem caused by congestion we are unlikely to see a park-and ride facility in the near future

Chris Hinds

Southampton