Changes to car park charges proposed to tackle congestion and air quality

THE COST of parking at some of Cambridge City Council’s car parks could change from next April as part of the council’s strategy to reduce congestion, improve air quality and produce lower carbon emissions.

A charging change to incentivise drivers not to enter central Cambridge car parks between 8am and 10am would be introduced at the same time as Cambridgeshire County Council plans to end charging for cars at Park and Ride sites.

The council is consulting local businesses, employers, residents, car park users and other interested parties on proposals for its off-street parking policy for 2018-19 which include:

• For the fourth year in a row prices remain frozen at our pay and display car parks Castle Hill, Adam and Eve, Riverside and Gwydir Street;
• An end to last year’s trial that saw prices on Mondays and Tuesdays at all multi-storey car parks reduced in line with 2012 prices and  on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays where they were frozen at 2015 levels.  This will see the return of a single tariff across the working week; 
• The introduction of a ‘Peak Time Congestion Trial’ for a period of 12 months. This tariff is designed to reduce the number of vehicles from the city centre streets during the peak hours of 8am to 10am and into the less busy periods of the day. Parking between these times will attract an additional tariff of 50p per hour for every hour (or part hour) of stay. This change will follow the installation of the new car parking payment machines;

More follows

• Evening tariffs for parking starting at 6pm;
• An increase of 30% for season ticket parking for business users. This flat increase across all ticket types is to incentivise the use of less polluting, less congestion creating forms of transport.

Among the intentions of the proposals are to reduce congestion, improve air quality, maintain value for money for short stay parking and encourage drivers to use Park and Ride sites rather than city centre multi-storey car parks.

In the last year the council has reinvested £2.1million into car parks, including essential improvements to surfaces, structure and drainage at Grand Arcade, Grafton East and Queen Anne Terrace car parks.

Comments received on the proposals will be considered by Cllr Kevin Blencowe, Executive Councillor for Planning and Transport who will recommend amendments if necessary before any changes are introduced next year.

Cllr Blencowe said: “We believe these proposals will offer a fair pricing structure, while helping to reduce congestion and improve air quality in the city.

“We have shown from our recent investment and refurbishment programme that we are committed to providing customers with an excellent service at our car parks, but we have to balance this with longer term considerations for tackling congestion and air quality as Cambridge grows.”