Among all the protests about the prevention of parking on the common land on New Road at Kendal there has been little mention of one positive outcome, apart from the obvious improvement in appearance of the riverside on New Road.

There are about 700 spaces in the multi-storey car park that are now available to anyone for £1 per day if they arrive before 9am. So, instead of a small minority of people monopolising common land on New Road for free parking, many more people who work in the town centre can now park all day very cheaply.

My guess is the car park will be used to much more of its capacity than before, mitigating any loss of income. I think this is a very good result for the majority, for which Councillor Giles Archibald and others should be commended.

If £1 a day parking causes difficulty to employees, their employers should give them a small pay rise to compensate. For instance, eight pounds per week, or four pence per hour, before tax per person, is not a lot. After all, the cost of improvements and the reduced parking fees will be borne by us all, even if we have never parked on New Road.

Miles Taylor

Kendall