AS a local resident living close to the railway station at Steeton, you would think I would be very pleased about the proposed increase in parking places – £2.5m rail parking funds just the ticket (Keighley News, January 12).

Sorry but no, surely the £2.53m for 70 places would be better spent on getting the link restored between Skipton and Colne, alleviating the problem of people coming over the border from East Lancashire at source.

With the Keighley News story suggesting that rail use is still likely to increase despite rising rail fares, those 70 places are going to quickly fill and it will be back to ‘square one’ regarding a lack of parking within a couple of years.

More available and free parking is going to continue to make it even more attractive for people to come down over the border from North Yorkshire, where parking at Cononley and Skipton is extremely poor.

I would suggest that the WYCA could also look at contributing the £2.53m towards opening the railway station at Cross Hills/Kildwick, where there is space for extensive car parking.

As far as councillors Naylor and Mallinson are concerned, I agree wholeheartedly that a potential solution is welcome, but as a resident living where the council refuse men are regularly posting letters on vehicles not to block the access onto Summerhill Drive and Summerhill Lane – and where special collections have to be made on alternative days because the wagon could not gain access – I would suggest they tackle this problem first.

Living on Summerhill Drive, all the residents paid for the surfacing of the road and installing drainage and lights when the council decided it should be adopted.

I was generally in favour of this but had I known it would become an overspill car park for the station, I certainly would have had second thoughts.

With the proposed new storey over the existing car park, there will be at least 70 existing places lost during the building phase and I can only surmise that these displaced vehicles will go and park on the local estates. What assurances can the councillors give that this will not happen?

At over £36k per parking space, perhaps they should look at the local timber yard where he charges £3 per day parking – that’s 33 years’ worth of parking for each vehicle.

If car parking charges were introduced to offset the building cost or if future charges were made, then I can only see the problem getting worse – time for some lateral thinking please.

DEREK WILD Steeton