FOR many motorists, parking fines can sometimes seem unreasonable, as in the case of footballer Rio Ferdinand parking his £160,000 Aston Martin too far from the kerb.

But in a world of ever increasing car numbers and ever decreasing space, and especially one where people are prepared to kill for an inch, and where a significant number of fatal and serious road traffic casualties result from being only a matter of inches in the wrong direction, it is not really that unreasonable.

The system that allows the likes of Rio Ferdinand to reach such a privileged position also has to serve the needs of people who are less fortunate.

Therefore it is only right that he and everyone else should respect and understand that road traffic laws, however unreasonable they may seem, are there to satisfy the fair and safe travel need of 50 million people living on a small congested island.

In fact the law is still a long way short of providing a level playing field.

Forty pounds to the likes of Rio Ferdinand is loose change, so why should he bother himself to appreciate the needs of others? Whereas it is a day's pay for many and they will more than appreciate the needs of others.

It all boils down to respect, understanding and responsibility -- rare commodities in a motorised world.

Allan Ramsay

Ashcombe Drive

Radcliffe