Sir – We have until July 9 to oppose the county council’s plans for controlled parking zones in East Oxford.

While the need for action to rationalise legitimate residents’ parking and restore some order to these streets is indisputable, the solution currently proposed is inequitable and unacceptable.

The plan aims to maximise the space available for cars by legitimising pavement parking, in effect reducing space for people on foot by allowing private property (cars) to block public space.

Pedestrians — especially children and elderly and disabled people — are being asked to pay a heavy price in terms of reduced safety, convenience and quality of their environment, in order that others can park close to home.

Selfish and anti-social pavement parking is already far too prevalent, but legitimising the practice in a few designated streets is likely to lead to widespread abuse both locally and in other parts of the city. To protect our street environment from unnecessary damage we suggest that the newly fledged car clubs are given longer to make an impact on car ownership before rushing into a “solution” which will be hard to reverse. Rigorous exclusion of commuter and student parking, and careful design of on-street parking places will probably solve the problem in all but a few streets. For the most crowded streets, shared-space schemes could be designed to accommodate more cars without making life so much more difficult for those who need, or prefer, to travel on foot.

We ask the county to think again and prevent Oxford’s pavements vanishing beneath rows of cars.

Corinne Grimley Evans Paul Cullen Oxford Pedestrians’ Association