Parking charges and town centres

Sir, – Parking issues discourage me from shopping in my local town centre of Wexford much more than other factors such as price or the internet. Local prices are reasonably competitive and I avoid internet shopping because of the hassles surrounding the delivery of items to my home.

Frequently, prime parking places are occupied all day by people working in town. Electric car spaces are either occupied by non-electric cars or by electric cars that remain plugged in all day. Narrow pavements are blocked by parked cars. Delivery trucks, inappropriately large for our narrow streets, are another hazard to pedestrians. All these factors are exacerbated by patchy enforcement of parking regulations.

The streets of Wexford are becoming a vulgar combination of pound shops, coffee shops and charity shops. I find myself avoiding the town centre as much as possible by shopping on the outskirts of town. It’s sad to watch my historic town, which was vibrant when I was growing up, die slowly with nobody seeming to care enough to apply simple measures that would slow the decline. – Yours, etc,

FINBAR KEARNS,

READ SOME MORE

Piercestown,

Co Wexford.