New council car park charges in Bath and North East Somerset

New council car park charges in Bath and North East Somerset

Changes to the cost of parking in Bath and North East Somerset Council car parks are set to come into effect from August 13th.

New fees, which include a residents’ ten per cent parking discount, start on August 13th. Sunday on-street parking remains free of charge and Park & Ride prices will not increase. Off-street parking charges have not increased in the council-run off-street car parks across the district since 2010. The changes are being made in as part of a package of measures by Bath & North East Somerset Council to tackle and improve air pollution and encourage more people to use Bath’s Park & Rides or other public transport.

New charges will see the cost of long-stay parking increase, however, in order to support local shops and traders, any resident parking for three hours or less in one of the council’s car parks will see the cost of parking either reduced or staying broadly the same.

Councillor Mark Shelford (Conservative, Lyncombe), Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said: “We carried out an extensive consultation last year which showed broad support for the aims of our Parking Strategy, in particular using long-stay parking charges to encourage the use of Park & Rides or public transport. We want to see more people using the Park & Ride or public transport rather than driving into Bath centre to park and we are encouraging everyone to walk or cycle for shorter journeys whenever they can. However as part of our commitment to put residents first and to support local business, we have introduced the Residents’ Parking Saver which gives a ten per cent discount. This can be activated when residents sign up for our MiPermit cashless system.”

In Keynsham, the cost of parking for up to three hours is not changing and the existing free parking in local community car parks across the area remains the same.

Any revenue the council raises from parking charges is used to support investment in local transport initiatives, such as Safer Routes to School schemes, as well as action to reduce traffic and tackle air pollution and to cover the cost of enforcement.

The main changes include:

  • A new flat hourly rate of £1.60 across all the council’s off-street car parks in Bath, including Charlotte Street, Manvers Street and Avon Street, capped at a maximum charge of £15 a day.
  • All residents of Bath & North East Somerset will be eligible for a discount of 10% on both on-street and off-street parking charges in Bath, meaning the cost of short-stay parking for residents will either be reduced or broadly remain the same. Residents will need to register their details with MiPermit via: www.wanttopark.com/bathnes.
  • The discounted evening rate from 6pm at Charlotte Street car park will remain in place, as will the hour’s free parking at Royal Victoria Park.
  • The cost of Residents’ Parking Permits will be frozen at their current rate, meaning the cost of these permits has now been frozen since March 2013.
  • Free on-street parking will continue to be protected on Sundays for everyone.

In Keynsham, to support the High Street and local traders, the cost of parking for up to three hours will be frozen, with slight increases in the cost of long-stay parking.  The four-hour charge in Keynsham is now 90p; the eight-hour charge £1.60; and the all-day charge £2.10.

The standard on-street parking charge in Bath, before a residents’ discount, for band 1 would be £2.50 for the first hour, then an extra £1 for each hour thereafter.  The charge in band 2 spaces would be £3.40 for the first hour, then an extra £1.10 for each hour thereafter. The charge in the band 3 spaces would be £3.80 for the first hour, then an extra £1.60 for each hour thereafter.  Most on-street parking is limited to a maximum of two hours, though in some locations it is up to four hours and drivers should always check the machine in the location to be sure what fees apply.

The MiPermit app means drivers can pay for their parking before setting off or pay from the comfort of their own car when they pull into a space – avoiding having to queue at a meter. The app also allows drivers to top-up their parking, up to the maximum time available, if they think they are about to run out of time and risk a parking ticket.

People using the app will see a 10p service charge, to cover administration costs. The fee is in line with most authorities and cheaper than others. For details please go to www.wanttopark.com/bathnes.

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