Review of high-demand car parking bays with limited waiting times
Residents, businesses and community groups in St Albans and Harpenden can take part in a review of the operation of on-street car parking bays with limited waiting times.
St Albans City and District Council has launched a consultation into proposals to change the system at bays in high-demand areas.
Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the main proposal would see motorists given two free parking sessions of up to 20 minutes each per day.
This will allow people to make quick shopping trips or to drop off and pick up children to and from school.
The proposals would see motorists wishing to park beyond those free periods needing to pay £2.50 an hour for a maximum two-hour stay or choose to use one of the many off-street car parks available.
There will be no charge for parking outside the hours during which restrictions apply - 8.30am to 6.30pm in St Albans and 8am to 6pm in Harpenden - so the night economy is not affected.
One major aim of the proposals is to ease the pressure on car parking bays in St Albans City Centre and Harpenden Town Centre which are in high demand. Charges at bays in other parts of the District are not proposed, with the various limited waiting times remaining the same.
The proposals are also designed to make the car parking service fairer and more equitable by helping it to become self-sufficient financially.
Over the past four years, the service has made accumulated losses of around £1.5 million, an unsustainable deficit.
Extra revenue provided by the proposals is forecast to bring the overall parking budget close to a break-even figure.
This could mean the service will no longer need to be subsidised by money from other Council budgets that could have been spent on other priorities.
Money from car parking services is kept in a ring-fenced budget, so any surplus could only be invested in parking, highways and environmental improvements
Another objective of the plans is to encourage active travel, such as cycling and walking, for trips to the City and Town centres rather than car use.
Councillor Helen Campbell, Chair of the Council’s Public Realm Committee and Lead for Parking, said:
We are aware that this review has already resulted in a lot of interest.
Some of the speculation has been wrong – we are not, for example, proposing to do away with free parking, stopping people making a dash to the shops or other businesses.
Parents and carers will still be able to park for free twice a day at the bays that are often used for the school run.
I ask people to look at the proposals in detail and not rely on any rumours they may have heard. I believe the changes will benefit the community as a whole by promoting active travel and discouraging people from parking on the street longer than they need.
They also take into account the interests, not just of residents who use the bays, but also of those who do not, such as non-motorists or those choosing active travel options.
By making parking self-sufficient, we can ease the pressure on our hard-pressed budget and the other services we provide.
Cllr Campbell added:
We want as many people as possible to take part in the consultation as this is their chance to air their views and help shape the outcome.
We will be analysing all the feedback before making any final decisions.
Consultation
The consultation began on Thursday 18 July and runs until midnight on Wednesday 14 August.
Residents can view the consultation proposals, including details of the bays involved, and give their views online here.
Consultation documents are also available to view at the Civic Centre in St Albans or Harpenden Town Hall.
People can also submit a response by email to parking.development@stalbans.gov.uk or in writing to: The Parking Development Team, St Albans City and District Council, Civic Centre, St Albans, AL1 3JE.
Contact for the media: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer: 01727-819533; john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.