LETTER: Commuters should not be penalised

This can only be a deliberate ploy to prevent commuters from parking their cars near the station, as who else parks in these locations between those times?

Penalising commuters, I would add, who are already paying the most expensive fares in Europe for a second rate transport system, at a time when we are all feeling the pinch but are being encouraged to go green and take public transport.

I can only imagine that these restrictions are coming into force due to complaints from the residents in these roads. With all due respect to these residents, Rusper Road, north of the station is not as ‘residential’ as others in the area, and while Lambs Farm Road is, the road is wide and able to take parked cars, considerably more than other narrower roads.

By imposing these restrictions, commuters will be forced to look elsewhere for somewhere free to park, therefore the ‘problem’ will be shifted onto other roads, which are very likely to be narrower and more residential; where there are likely to be more pedestrians and children and therefore presenting a bigger hazard.

Following on from that, how long will it take the residents in these ‘new’ roads to start complaining about all the extra cars suddenly being parked there during the day? Will the council then impose restrictions on these roads, and so on and so on – pushing the problem further and further out, as they have done around Horsham Station!

This is not solving the root cause of the parking problem.

In my opinion, the real issue is the absurd amount of housing being built in the Horsham area, with no consideration being taken for commuters, most of who will not be working in the town, but instead will be commuting by train to London. The situation is only going to get worse with the new developments at Broadbridge Heath, off the A264 at Bewbush and the planned development north of the A264 at Horsham.

The current, expensive, ‘white elephant’ of a park and ride system to the south of Horsham will not provide a solution for the problems that already exist in Littlehaven and which will only get worse with these new houses.

The plans for the new development north of the A264 at Horsham include a new railway station. I’m sure this will prove very popular...especially with all the new residents of Broadbridge Heath and the other new developments! What size of car park will be provided I wonder? A few paltry spaces, with a hefty charge, as is the case at Horsham Station? Would it not be more sensible for a proper sized car park, perhaps even a multi storey, being built at this new station, free to commuters?

Finally, perhaps the bureaucrats that approve all these new housing developments need to insist that the developers include effective park and ride systems in their plan, in lieu of schools, community halls, etc (that are currently offered as a sweetener) to mitigate parking issues around the two stations of Horsham.

Neil B Davies

Manor Fields

Horsham