Government's muddled thinking

MEMBERS of Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council have met with representatives of Warrington Borough Council to discuss the parking problems in the area.
Whether or not the meeting provided anything of significance to help solve the problems remains to be seen, but one interesting piece of information emerged.
The government wants to discourage car use and, to this end, is willing to accept less parking provision with new developments.
If ever there was an example of muddled thinking by a government department, this surely must be it.
Who seriously believes that providing less parking at new offices, restaurants, shops, etc., will stop people from using their cars? Particularly in a place like Culcheth?
Motorists will simply park on the road as near as they can get to the place they wish to visit, exacerbating the problems.
Coun Jacqui Johnson believes inaccuracies in the 2007 census, which is considered in planning matters, are partly to blame for the problems and that the census should be handed back to the parish council for checking. She may have a point – local knowledge is often the best in matters like this.
Coun Keith Bland believes residents must have their say in how to solve the parking problems and he is clearly right. Culcheth people suffer the problems so they should be allowed to help in solving them.
And Coun Christine Rankin is certainly correct to say Culcheth is no longer a village but has become a small town.
Some improvements suggested were to look at extending parking times in restricted areas and making private car parks more readily available for public parking.
This would, of course, require the co-operation of the owners of private car parks – something which has not been noticeably forthcoming so far.