ON the whole our parking arrangements in Devizes work well, at low cost and with simplicity. More spaces would be appreciated, but that is to be expected and by comparison with some other towns, there is little aggression between motorists and parking wardens.

Unfortunately, things are likely to take a turn for the worse in the next year or so, if popular opinion does not intervene. In the short term, we are threatened with the spread of parking charges from the Kennet car parks to the on-street areas like the Market Place.

The Trust for Devizes hopes that Kennet will not impose this, partly because it will bring more unpleasant parking signs and meters onto the street but also because of the cost to users.

In the longer term, there is the danger of Devizes and Kennet being carried along in the county council's plan to introduce decriminalised parking control throughout Wiltshire.

What this means, literally, is that yellow line offences will no longer be a police 'criminal' affair, but a civil matter between Kennet and the public.

The reason for it is to reduce police duties but the usual result is that councils tend to delegate parking enforcement to private contractors. The consequence of this is performance bonuses to the parking wardens for the fines that they achieve, with entrapment tricks, clamping towaways and the rest of the unpleasantness. And we shall have penalty fines of £60 (or £30 for prompt payment).

The irony is that the schemes will be expensive for Kennet to introduce, despite the fact that resident zones will come with another cost of £25 a year and that all on-street spaces will be charged for. Also some of the present spaces will disappear in the introduction process.

I am very disturbed by all of this for two reasons quite apart from that of the cost.

Firstly the light handed parking regime in Devizes is one of the town's great pleasures and I am certain that visitors find that too. Secondly "decriminalisation" will bring with it a raft of additional street furniture which will deface the traditional look of our town.

If you agree with me please write to or email me, supporting my efforts to have Kennet opt out of the Wiltshire plans for decriminalised parking, and to introduce our own residential zones where local people want them, not on the county council's terms.

JEFF ODY

Trust for Devizes

Devizes SN10 5AP

Jeffrey.Ody@kennet.gov.uk