AS has been suggested by Cllr Collingwood (Marlow Free Press, December 23) one solution to the problems caused by parking in Marlow’s residential streets is the provision of additional public car park spaces.

However, on its own, that strategy will not be sufficient to resolve the disruption caused to residents’ lives by commuter and other day-long car parking.

There is plenty of evidence that many commuters will not pay to park in off-street car parks, even where plenty of space is available, preferring instead to park free of charge in residential streets, particularly in those nearest to their place of work.

One example of such behaviour is provided by those pupils of Sir William Borlase’s School who have recently become qualified to drive.

Many of these students choose to drive to school and to park in the streets nearest to the school, despite the fact that free parking has been arranged for them within easy walking distance at Marlow Sports Club.

The school appears unwilling or unable to take any lasting effective action to stop pupils parking in residential roads.

The broad conclusion must be that the provision of additional car park spaces should be accompanied by restrictions on all day parking in the affected areas, perhaps by prohibiting parking between the hours of 10am and 11am, a solution adopted in many places elsewhere in the country.

Although such a solution may not be appropriate in streets where residents have no parking spaces of their own and where residents-only parking may well be the solution, in streets where residents do have off-street parking of their own, this should be considered.

Derek Done, Harwood Road, Marlow