With the exception of parking on Coo’s Green, I thoroughly agree with I. Gibson’s letter, ‘A litany of problems in North Berwick’, in your issue of April 10.

I, also, have never seen so many cars in this neighbourhood on a public holiday. Not only were they parked along all the surrounding streets, but there was also a constant stream of vehicles driving round looking for somewhere to park.

And as if that were not bad enough, an allotmenteer seemed to think it fit to park on the main road instead of the usual corner in closest proximity to the allotments, despite the fact that, as far as I can remember, according to the original agreement, they are supposed to park in the gardeners’ car park and walk, or just walk if within walking distance.

Not only is the massive influx of visitors to the town a nightmare for them, it is becoming a nightmare for the residents. Only the shopkeepers rub their hands in glee when they see the crowds of people alighting from the trains, buses and private cars, as they have done since the unsuspecting pilgrims passed through the town in the Middle Ages.

I wonder how many more cars are going to think they should come to North Berwick once the car parking charges are introduced at some of the beaches in the county but not in North Berwick and why should the residents have to put up with such littering, noise and air pollution, especially that caused by processions of motor bikes which are allowed to ride along our town’s streets, just as huge transport vehicles do when the roads were never built to cope with such traffic?

Perhaps it is time to revisit the subject of a bypass for the town and also a park and ride on the western edge of the town, using a multi-storey car park built in an environmentally friendly style near the Dalrymple filling station, with some buses travelling to the bus stop on Church Street for the shops and the West Bay and others to the bus stop at the East Bay for the beach only.

Residents already know that North Berwick has become a victim of its own success. Now it is time for visitors to learn this as well.

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