Free evening parking in Newcastle city centre should be replaced with free public transport, a passenger group has urged.
Council bosses are planning to axe the Alive After Five offer that has allowed for charge-free car parking after 5pm in popular city centre car parks for more than a decade. Serious concerns have been raised about the potential impact on the culture and leisure sector, with fears that imposing fees until 10pm will put people off driving to the city to see a show or have a meal.
The Tyne and Wear Public Transport Users Group (PTUG) has now called for the scheme to be replaced by a new initiative offering free Metro or bus travel to help keep businesses thriving. PTUG chair Vicki Gilbert said that such a move would support both the city centre’s economy and efforts to slash illegal levels of air pollution.
Read More: Plan to axe free evening parking in Newcastle city centre 'absurdly destructive', arts boss claims
She added: “We know that four in 10 households in Newcastle have no access to a car, so the previous Alive After Five scheme offered nothing to many people in the city. Given the importance of Newcastle’s night-time economy, for eating, drinking, going to the theatre or watching live music, we’d love to see people incentivised to use public transport and support local entertainment and cultural businesses.
“Offering free public transport after 5pm would be a great way to bring more people into the city without having to worry about parking or getting home after a drink or two. We’d like to see the subsidy redirected from free parking to free evening Metros or night buses to keep the city centre alive after 5pm.”
A Newcastle City Council consultation on the big changes to city centre parking closed on Wednesday, with 1,000 people sharing their views. The overhaul would see parking charges extended until 10pm at the Eldon Square, Eldon Garden, Dean Street, Oxford Street and Grainger Town multi-storey car parks, as well as all on-street spaces in the city centre.
The Quayside and Manors multi-storeys, both also part of Alive After Five, would instead be free after 6pm under the changes, while 6pm will also remain the cut-off time for fees at the Claremont Road car park near the Royal Victoria Infirmary. A £3 all-day rate on Sundays would also be scrapped across the city centre, with drivers having to pay the standard weekday rates instead.
Last week, the proposal was labelled “absurdly destructive” by the boss of the Newcastle Arts Centre, with Mike Tilley saying that the Alive After Five offer had become a “a vital support for evening shopping, entertainment and hospitality” since launching in 2010.
A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said: “The consultation on proposals for the introduction of evening and Sunday car parking charges closed today (April 13). The proposals are to help us manage and respond to changing demand for car parking in the city centre. This has generated a high volume of responses, which the council will need to review before making a final decision.”
