Proposed parking fee changes at council car parks.

[daskier]

Proposal includes.

* 30 min free parking period
* 1 pound charge from 6.30pm to 10pm

http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/N ... 071617.htm

Not entirely sure what I feel about it. I love parking up for a night meal with the wife.

The 30mins parking could definitively help on errands to the town during the morning.

[james]

Terrible idea

The 30 minutes free parking mean window shopping and impulse buys have been wiped out. People want to dash to the one shop and dash back again.

And although I agree with charging at night in principle, it needs to be backed up with parking enforcement too. Too many cars already park illegally on the pavement or double yellow lines in town at night. And with people reportedly outraged at having to pay one whole pound for town centre car storage (am I the only one that thinks this is still a bargain??) you're going to see the problem get much worse.

[Drama Queen]

The 30 minute grace and favour fee would only be useful to me if going quickly to a cashpoint, but I wouldn't stay to have something to eat, pop into another shop or supermarket like I do now. In the evening you will find more and more people will park on yellow lines as they are doing now, making it really difficult to get around the town and if I am in Hertford theatre watching or performing in a show.. I have now got to find, on top other times I need to park in the town centre, an extra £4.00 to £8.00 in that show week. I don't think its been carefully thought through and I also think poor old motorists are seen as cash cows.. I had to pay over £1.60 the other week for time not used on my tickets and at this rate I think its about time pay on exit.... the council owe me substantial amounts for parking fees that have had to be pre-paid for time not taken or used because of the nature of my visit.. I think more needs to be thought about the impact on the town centre, which during weekdays is dead ... not a good move in my book, I get the impression that they don't care about the shops and think that to get any money in is a good plan and might as well get the restaurant crowd ! I am more concerned that I feel my town and surrounding town centres are being sacrificed to fleece the nightime motorist coming to the town for a night out....

[Steve]

It should also be noted that all the other charging bands have been pushed back 30 minutes, so now instead of paying £1.50 for an hour and a half you now only pay 80p. Similarly 2.5 hours will now cost only £1.50 instead of £2.20.

[Toady]

So it's not all bad then?

[codek2]

good spot Steve - thats a pretty nice move

[daskier]

Mercury reports the proposal has been approved.

[Sudi]

Another nail in the coffin............

[Steve]

Another nail in the coffin............

I'm not sure I follow your thinking. Which part of the proposals are you referring to? The evening charges? The free half-hour? The reduction in charges for people parking for 90 minutes, 3 hours and five hours?

[Golden]

To be honest I really can't see people objecting to the pound charge between 6.30-10pm but its going to be difficult to get the message across and many will be peeved by the fines. It can't really have much more effect to on street parking as that's already full on a weekend evening and wardens have been seen until late evening ticketing cars - favourite spots always Hertford House, Church St. and the loading bays dotted around town.

What I personally find difficult at the moment is that many car parks are empty during the day but the on street all day parking is extending even further, these charges are not going to address that issue.