SINCE the council claims the town's two park and ride schemes are so successful it would be unreasonable to object to the plan for a third one near the Great Western Hospital.

It will keep more visitors to the GWH out of their cars, however, only if the buses that travel to and from it run frequently and call at a stop immediately outside the hospital's main door.

In its zeal to reduce the number of vehicles on our roads the council has been less than fair to those who work at and need to visit the hospital.

It has failed, for instance, to allow for the large percentage of people who go there because they are sick, and who are, therefore, least able to travel by bus.

And the decision to impose hefty fines on drivers who overstay the time on their pay and display ticket for the hospital car park ignores the obvious fact that out-patients do not know how long they might have to wait to see their doctor.

These eco-aware restrictions need to be imposed with a certain amount of flexibility.

It would have helped if regular and frequent services were provided to the GWH from the town's existing park and ride schemes.