Revised proposals for car parking charges at limited waiting bays
Revised proposals for car parking charges at some limited waiting bays in Harpenden and St Albans City Centre have been published.
The changes are a response to the views of residents, businesses and other organisations, including Harpenden Town Council, that were aired in a public consultation.
An analysis of the feedback has been included in a report by St Albans City and District Council which is responsible for on-street parking.
The original proposals included a charge of £2.50 an hour for a maximum two-hour stay and two free parking sessions of up to 20 minutes each per vehicle per day.
Five revisions to the proposals have now been put forward:
- Restrictions to start from 9am rather than 8.30am in Harpenden to ensure there is minimal impact on the morning school runs there.
- The two 20-minute free parking sessions to be replaced with one 30-minute free session.
- Charging periods to be made available in blocks of 30 minutes rather than one-hour long sessions to reduce the potential cost of brief stops. It means the charge for a one-hour stay, including the free period, would be £1.25 while the maximum two-hour cost would be £3.75, including the free period.
- No changes to be introduced at bays in York Road, St Albans, until a wider review of parking in the area takes place.
- Five limited waiting bays in Leyton Green, Harpenden, to be converted into resident parking bays for the benefit of local households.
There will be no charge for parking outside the hours during which restrictions apply at the bays, 9am to 6pm in Harpenden and, reflecting different local conditions, 8.30am to 6.30pm in St Albans.
Councillor Helen Campbell, Chair of the Council’s Public Realm Committee and Lead for Car Parking, said:
The original proposals generated considerable interest and debate, particularly in Harpenden.
We have listened carefully to people’s concerns, including those expressed in a petition, and met with Harpenden Town Council.
We are now putting forward some modifications to the proposals. This includes allowing for free parking for a half-hour every day which will be of great benefit to people making a quick trip to the shops.
We know that some people would prefer to retain the current system of no charge at all for a full two hours, but we hope they can understand that is not sustainable in the current financial climate.
Our car parking services have made accumulated losses of around £1.5 million over the past four years and that cannot continue at a time when local authority budgets are under so much pressure.
We are simply asking motorists who park in high-demand bays to make a small contribution towards the many car parking costs we are faced with, such as staffing, enforcement, equipment, signage and maintenance.
Our aim is to move the parking services budget towards the break-even point so that it no longer needs to be subsidised by the wider Council budget, money that could be spent on priorities such as creating more social housing or helping the homeless.
The main objection to the changes, raised in the consultation, was concern that they could have an adverse effect on businesses and the vibrancy of the high street, but we have seen no evidence to support this. In fact, a quicker turnover at the bays, brought about by charging, could be helpful to businesses.
Among the main objectives of the changes are reducing congestion by discouraging unnecessary car trips and encouraging active travel such as cycling and walking.
The changes would be authorised by a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) and the Council is following the statutory process for this.
It means the final decision on whether to issue a TRO will be made by the Council’s Strategic Director of Community and Place Delivery in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Car Parking.
This will not be a decision taken at the Public Realm Committee.
Those wishing to comment on the revised proposals will be given the opportunity to air their views during a 21-day period starting on Monday 11 November. The consultation will appear here along with the report on the modified proposals.
If the changes go ahead, they are likely to be implemented in early 2025.
Income from car parking is kept in a ring-fenced budget and can only be invested in parking, highways and environmental improvements.
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Contact for the media: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer: 01727-819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.
Image by juicy_fish on Freepik