CHRISTIANE Maher (letters, March 7) asks me to cite evidence for my support for parking charges – I would be glad to do so!

Change is needed because private transport makes up 25 per cent of Scotland’s emissions and East Lothian is failing to make necessary progress towards a 20 per cent reduction target.

Interested readers can look up the Essential Evidence factsheets produced by Edinburgh Napier’s Transport Research Institute, freely available online.

Factsheet 21 found that parking policies which restrict parking lead to a shift towards more sustainable modes of transport; factsheet 74 cites parking charges as one of the most effective policy options for behaviour change; and factsheet 71 gives evidence that sustainable transport policies which may be unpopular at first rapidly gain acceptance as people appreciate the benefits of reduced traffic and increased public space.

My comments about safety were to do with the overall effect of reducing car dominance, particularly through Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, which have been repeatedly found to lower street crime and road accidents (e.g. the work of Rachel Aldred).

Parking charges alone won’t deliver this change, but they are a good first step.

North Berwick Community Council claims that car parking charges will ruin businesses but have presented no evidence for this.

Evidence from other towns and cities suggests the opposite.

In Delft, a historic market square functioned as a car park until the early 2000s.

When the town council suggested removing parking, businesses were scared, but the town proceeded on an opt-in basis.

Soon all the businesses requested to turn that parking space into outdoor seating, and the square is now a thriving, pedestrian civic space (see the work of Melissa and Chris Bruntlett for more on this, including before and after photos).

This is also relevant to Ms Dickinson’s letter last week. She argues that cycling infrastructure is a waste of money, particularly in comparison to healthcare spending.

Actually, a recent BMJ article by Scarlett McNally describes active travel infrastructure as a ‘best buy’ for improving health, with cycle commuting associated with a 30 per cent reduction in mortality from heart disease and cancer.

This is not to say that every current design of the Active Toun project is perfect but, like the parking charges, the concept of a network of routes to encourage more cycling and walking will be one key driver to shift us all towards more sustainable transport (see Factsheet 18 from Napier’s TRI for more evidence on how this works).

The most recent Scottish Government budget allocated over £1 billion to the trunk road network: it is this cash that should be spent elsewhere, not the fractional amount allocated to active travel.

Cllr Shona McIntosh

East Lothian Greens and chair of ELC Cycle Forum