York businesses have urged the council to change parking fees to encourage shoppers back into the city centre.
And they told councillors to think again about plans to hike some car park fees.
The council says it is facing a £10m shortfall in the next year and the parking price rise would generate £1m.
Here’s what City of York Council is proposing as part of its budget consultation:
- Parking rate changes: The cost for the first hour in premium and standard car parks could be £4.85, the same rate for the second hour. If you stay longer, the hourly rate could drop to £4.10 after the first two hours
- Saturday rates: There could be an extra 10% increase in charges on Saturdays.
Two executive members of the council, Cllr Kate Ravilious and Cllr Pete Kilbane, attended a meeting of the York High Street Forum yesterday to discuss these ideas.
Chair of the York High Street Forum Phil Pinder described the hike in parking as a “stealth tax” which would increase the parking charge by up to 132%, in the case of Foss Bank on a Saturday.
He argued it wouldn’t reduce traffic but just send people to places like the Designer Outlet.
“I don’t think this is any way a good solution for York,” he said.
Andy Masheder from the Monk Bar Model Shop on Goodramgate told the meeting: “It will hit our businesses.
“We need shoppers, and it appears more of an attack on shoppers than it is on people staying for the day.”
Encourage the locals
Speaking afterwards, he told YorkMix: “We need to encourage the locals and the shoppers to come in on the morning.
“We’ve found we’ve got quieter, particularly mid-week mornings.
“So I’d like to see some incentives – reduce parking fees so that shoppers can just nip in, just for two hours on the morning, and try and encourage the shoppers back to businesses.”
Another trader told the meeting that Northallerton – “a great place to shop” – charged £4.80 to park. “That’s not an hour, that’s a day.”
Executive director of the York BID Andrew Lowson told the meeting that businesses were being squeezed, and needed “to see some wins”.
He backed the idea of “dynamic parking” charges, with prices reduced to encourage people to come in on a Monday or Tuesday morning.
‘Throttled by traffic’
City of York Council’s transport lead Kate Ravilious said York was “being throttled by traffic”.
“Everyone is suffering from congestion and we can’t just let it carry on. Parking charges are one tool we have of many.
“There are many things we can do, positive and negative, to help address the congestion situation.”
She wants to make buses more attractive to residents. “At the moment no one’s going to choose to go on the bus,” Cllr Ravilious told the meeting.
“It’s more expensive than parking your car, it’s delayed, it’s unreliable. Why would you choose it? I don’t. I have a car and I drive it. Because why would I get on the bus with my family – it costs more?
“Part of the rationale behind this is those first two hours of parking are slightly more expensive than a family bus ticket. That means it’s cheaper to come in with your family on the bus if you’re coming in for two hours or more.”
After those first two hours the proposed car park fees would taper off, so all-day parking would be £22 as opposed to £20 now she said.
Cllr Ravilious added that parking fines caused an issue. The council levies a £50 penalty for parking misdemeanours, reduced to £25 for early payment.
The law prevents the council from levying a fine higher than that. That means the council can’t charge much more than £22 a day – or paying for a car parking space would be as expensive as the fine for not paying.
Listening to businesses
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Ravilious said: “I am really listening to businesses. One of the things that’s become very apparent to me is that some businesses really depend on that year-round support from residents.
“And for them, if we increase parking charges and that affects the residents coming in, that has a really detrimental effect on their business.
“So I’m very much listening to that and thinking, what can we do that supports the businesses that depend on residents.”
However, she added that “we can’t ignore the hugely damaging impact that traffic congestion is having on the city.
“We have to find a way to get our buses moving again, and to free up the roads for people whose journeys are essential.
“Car parking charges are a key tool to change travel behaviour and the proposals we are consulting on pegging the daytime car parking charge for two hours to the price of a family bus ticket, with the aim of encouraging people to catch the bus into town rather than drive in.”