HERE we go again! Pay to park at work 'tax' plan, Echo, February 4. Our dear councillors and unelected number crunchers and ideas men at Exeter City Council are at it again, trying to find ways to force people away from Exeter, and make some kind of cash from anyone and everyone.

Why is it that all they want to do is find ways to make money?

Charging people to pay for parking at work will make companies think twice about locating here.

We will lose jobs and in return lose the economic pluses that go with jobs. It will be the smaller businesses that will suffer long term due to people losing jobs and spending less.

One big thing that causes congestion within the city is poor arterial routes, made more congested by bus lanes and cycle paths on too narrow roads.

Also we have far too many buses chugging around the city, lots of which are half empty or completely empty in the case of many park and ride ones.

I have said this before and I will continue to say it, one really radical idea would be to compulsory purchase properties on the arterial routes and make the roads wide enough to cope.

Now that's radical and, hey, it didn't cost the city council a penny to come up with that idea!

We have to accept cars are growing in numbers and we have to live with them and find ways to cope — not banish them, putting greater strain on small businesses.

Also has anyone thought that rather than businesses passing on the charge to their employees that they may just pass it on to the end user... the customers?

Richard Brown

Whipton, Exeter