From a cyclist's and pedestrian's point of view I agree with rigorous parking attendants and parking regulations, which are a strong deterrent against shoppers and commuter motorists parking badly.

But I do take issue with what I call ongoing intimidation by a few attendants intent on persecuting the tradesmen, delivery vehicles and the service industry generally.

I recently attended to a request to secure an open premises in Adelaide Crescent, arriving at 3.45pm. Now, our £75 a quarter traders' permits are not valid after 4pm.

The area had only about ten payand- display parking bays at the top end, which were full, and 15 minutes was not enough to deal with this job so, keeping an eye out for any attendants, the job was completed as soon as was practicable.

With new keys to return to the letting office in Palmeria Square and the ten or so pay-and-display bays still full, I pulled up on double yellows to drop the keys off.

I was seen by an attendant who eagerly appeared to be making notes on my vehicle. As I dare not leave the vehicle unattended, I rang the office to come to me.

The attendant went off to the west side of the square, but as soon as I stepped out of the vehicle and had a brief conversation with the letting agent about the works, he came straight back across the square and duly started to book the vehicle.

Without being offensive my annoyance gave rise to the comment: "You just can't wait to apply a ticket."

The same attendant had previously had given our vehicle a ticket and placed it on top of the valid permit, taking his photo as if no permit was displayed.

Later, in Brunswick Square where there was a European flower delivery lorry transferring stock to a local florist's van, he persisted on taking all the vehicle's details and kept stating the lorry was too big to park there. But if the driver had attempted to deliver to the shop directly it would have caused immense difficulty in Western Road instead.

There still appears no difference for hard-hitting attendants between commercial vehicles keeping our busy city thriving and the shopper and commuter's vehicles which come from local estates and nearby towns and park on unregulated streets.

Will we have permit bays in the majority of the city and then what, a congestion charge as well?

G Dinnage
carpenter/locksmith/glazier
Lion Mews,
Hove