| Having inspected your display and studied
the Consultation document, I am of the opinion that the Green Key scheme
would fail to fulfil the objectives initially set out, in that it would
not 'protect the tourist industry, give the local economy a boost and
improve the quality of life' in Snowdonia, but would rather be damaging to
all those factors and signally fails to take account of ‘the needs of
the community as well as the visitor’. So radical a scheme as that
proposed is both unnecessary and undesirable and would be
counterproductive.
Measures to take account of the over-use of the Parks
during the high season would be of use, since it is during that period
only that car-parks become full and 'unofficial' car-parking on verges and
pavements becomes a problem. Car-park use during the high season is
self-limiting, and it is at this time that an improved public transport
system would be a solution. If adequately provided this would have the
effect of transferring movement from car to bus or train as a preference
of the user.
What is not needed is any time-restriction on the inner
car-parks. Since it is impossible to climb most mountains and return
within two hours, and inconvenient to do so in four, to impose these
restrictions on (For instance) Pen y Pass for high and mid season
respectively would simply discourage visitors.
The notion of park and ride from 'gateway' towns is
misconceived, since the last thing wanted in such places as Betws-y-Coed
is for people to park their cars for a whole day in order to get in a bus
to go elsewhere. This, far from increasing the benefit of tourism to the
local economy, would be plainly destructive of what is already a
flourishing industry which needs no help or interference.
The scheme would moreover penalise non-walkers also, who
might wish to park to enjoy the view, take photographs, or have a picnic.
These are environmentally harmless activities and in keeping with the
policies for National Parks and the various policies cited in the
document.
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