• I AM extremely upset at Camden’s proposed increases in residents’ permit charges – I understand the aim is to cut pollution but there are lots of reasons why people use their cars and lots of things that cause pollution.

I use my car primarily to visit my allotment in Mill Hill. I could go by public transport from my home in West Hampstead but apart from taking twice as long I would not be able to carry very much there or back – including all my harvested crops in the height of the season.

In any case, I am saving food miles, improving my health through exercise and eating fresh fruit and vegetables, and increasing my mental wellbeing, through exercise and fresh air. I could not stop at the garden centre, also in Mill Hill, or Mill Hill Waitrose.

One car shop is probably equivalent to three by bus, because I can’t carry as much as I used to. This is a waste of time and effort, especially as the timetable for the C11 bus seems to have been reduced.

By increasing the residents’ permit price by such a huge margin, Camden is punishing the elderly and those on low incomes, most of whom do not use their cars very often but rely on them when they do.

MARCIA MACLEOD
Dennington Park Road, NW6