Letter: Creative parking

Sir: The difficulties of parking in London ('Meter misery in a parking maze', 20 July) is in sad contrast to the situation in Rome; and the hostility shown to motorists' free expression bodes ill for the future of the arts in Britain. Roman drivers go in for creative parking, and surely this is linked to the well-known flair Italians have for design. I am not sure if there are official awards for parking, perhaps from the civic authorities or the Italian Automobile Club, or whether motorists in Rome are content with the admiration of their fellows.

Parking on double yellow lines, or in strictly prohibited areas, is tolerated, but only if there is nowhere better. And it does betray a lack of imagination. Parking on a pedestrian crossing? Well, that's better. Double parking on a pedestrian crossing? Now we're getting somewhere. My personal vote goes to the man who double parked on a pedestrian crossing at right angles to the road.

It is surely time we stopped persecuting this art form, and started handing out certificates of merit to deserving cases instead of parking tickets.

Yours sincerely,

I. D. CRADDOCK

Edinburgh

25 July