I WOULD like to clarify a few points raised through your letters page last week. The Ely Traders Association is backing the proposal to build this car park as it will enable the commuters to park nearer to the station and, importantly, at a more reasonabl

I WOULD like to clarify a few points raised through your letters page last week.

The Ely Traders Association is backing the proposal to build this car park as it will enable the commuters to park nearer to the station and, importantly, at a more reasonable cost than if the railway company is given control of any additional parking, and it will keep the scourge of parking charges away from Ely and district.

Members of the Lib Dems suggested through letters to your page last week that the idea will be a 'white elephant' due to the location of the proposed car park in relation to the car parks currently being used.

The proposed site can be seen adjacent to the main road between two large office buildings. This week, a group of people walked at a normal pace from the site to the railway station in four-and-a-half minutes.

This walk takes you along Angel Drove and past the Tesco store and is at all times on pavements and well-lit streets. The group then walked from the station to The Maltings car park, the nearest of the car parks currently used by commuters, and it took 10 minutes.

It was also suggested that we are supporting parking charges on this car park, selfishly, as it will affect commuters not shoppers. To correct this statement, commuters would be paying a £3.50 daily charge if the railway car park were extended as they currently do, instead of the £2 charge which will be levied on the new car park.

Shopkeepers' profits are not the only thing that drives us through this campaign, but a desire to do the best for Ely and its neighbouring villagers.

Now to clarify the comments regarding the time restructuring of the existing car parks. It is intended to extend the short-stay time from three hours to four. The long-stay will be reduced to nine hours, which will continue to allow workers to park during the working day, removing any need to park in residential streets.

I feel it quite incredible that misleading and factually inaccurate information can be given out to the public for point scoring and political gain. This proposal gives a realistic, uncomplicated and easily achievable first step to alleviating traffic problems in Ely.

ELAINE GRIFFIN-SINGH

Chairman of Ely Traders' Association