Letter published by Sidmouth Herald March 2001, concerning parking and traffic problems.

More please Mr Wale

Traffic management is crucial to Sidmouth's future. In his robust letter of 2 March Ian Davis drew attention to Councillor Wale's continuing support for an underground car park. However, neither a car park nor a park and ride scheme should necessarily be judged on a narrow cost effectiveness basis. Impact on congestion and the town's ability to attract visitors (and residents) of the requisite quality are also important.

To obtain a sound result requires what can be termed system boundary analysis - more of which later, perhaps. Defining system boundaries too closely and applying marginal cost effectiveness analysis in an inept manner were factors that led to the closure of many of our railway lines. The same fundamental mistakes have been repeated in other areas and by successive governments.

Mr Wale seems destined to become a leading councillor, and a wider resume of his recent pronouncements would have been helpful. At the height of the multi-storey car park debate Mr Wale leapt to the defence of Stuart Hughes who at that time was also a keen advocate of the elephant. He explained to us that the Town Council were advocating not a multi-storey car park but a tastefully designed tiered parking facility! The whole of Sidmouth was grateful for this insight.

Later, when Sidford began to choke to death on traffic fumes and congestion, Mr Wale showed a keen grasp of underlying realities. He wrote a letter to the Herald outlining how the signals had at least slowed the traffic down. Local admiration for Mr Wale reached its zenith when he suggested in Council that many of the almost 2000 signatories to the protest petition might have been intimidated into adding their names.

In all, Ian Davis was rather unkind. His letter may have served only to dissuade Mr Wale from giving us more of his views. Rather than criticise, we should encourage him to continue to highlight the need for a replacement councillor.

Dr Stephen J Wozniak

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