Huge price increases to stay in Bristol City Council’s car parks and city centre on-street spaces have been approved – with some fees doubling. Cabinet members agreed the rises on Tuesday, October 4, saying they were necessary to encourage people to use public transport, walk and cycle.
But the changes are expected to persuade as few as one in 10 drivers to leave cars at home while bringing an extra £1.6million a year into council coffers, a report to cabinet said. The biggest hikes are for longer stays, with four hours on-street going up from £6 to £12, while one-hour stays remain at £4 with the aim of supporting shops and leisure activities with quicker turnover.
Off-street car park charges for shorter stays will generally increase by two-thirds from £1.50 to £2.50 an hour, with parking up to four hours now costing £10 in total instead of £6 at present, making it the most expensive for a major city outside London, and all-day stays up from £13.50 to £18, cheaper only than Manchester and Cardiff. This will affect Trenchard Street, West End, Temple Gate, Portwall Lane, The Grove, Redcliffe Parade, Mardyke Wharf, Lower Guinea Street and College Street car parks.
