The report about rising levels of pollution in Brighton and Hove (The Argus, November 9) comes as no surprise to those of us who have long disliked the anti-car policies pursued by the city council .

The council has reduced on-street car parking and made driving around town more difficult at a time when demand has been growing, not least because more people live here.

Tailbacks into Brighton from the north, east and west are testimony to the lack of thought, foresight and action that characterised the previous Labour administration.

Sadly, it seems as though the Conservatives are about to fall into the same trap under pressure from the Greens, who have admirable motives but are rather naïve about human behaviour.

For years, new homes and offices have been built with inadequate parking in the mistaken belief that people would then be dissuaded from owning and using a car.

This under-provision has made it easier to justify the extension of parking zones into largely residential areas. This, in turn, has exacerbated pollution problems and left some vulnerable people even more isolated than they already were.

And it has damaged the local economy, as more people choose to shop out of town.

The council has made efforts to support the admirable Roger French and his staff at Brighton and Hove Buses. But local bus and train services can only ever offer a partial solution to people's transport needs.

It is impossible to provide sufficient public transport to cater for the increasing number and complexity of real-life routes no matter how much money is invested.

And disappointingly, the city council has done nowhere near enough to make cycling a sensible choice for large numbers of people.

It would help if the seafront cycle path was easier to follow and further from the traffic. The promenade, although not everyone's first choice, is the most practical route.

Other cycle routes should be created, while parking for all types of motorcycles and push bikes should be much more plentiful.

Finally, it is a disgrace that the train companies were allowed to scrap carriages which had at least some provision for cycles and replace them with rolling stock which has so little. A solution needs to be found urgently to this policy disaster.

  • A Kelly, Old Shoreham Road, Hove