PARKING charges are set to return at Hanham’s Laburnum “Road car park next spring.
The site is among 22 where South Gloucestershire Council wants to reintroduce fees in the hope of raising £800,000 a year.
The council says it knows residents would like free parking to continue but financial pressures prevent this. However, the charges will be kept as low as possible, with one hour costing 70p.
“At least 10% of spaces” in short-stay car parks, including Laburnum Road, as well as Bank Road, Cecil Road, South Road and Kings Chase in Kingswood, will be free for stays of up to 30 minutes
In long-stay car parks, among them Boultons Road in Kingswood, the minimum charge will be £3 for up to four hours, rising to £9 for a day. Kings Chase has both short-stay and long-stay spaces.
Blue badge holders will be able to park free for four hours in both short and long stay car parks, and there will be season tickets ranging from £24 a week to £1,008 a year. Charges will apply between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday, with parking staying free on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Payments will be cashless, using cards or an app.
The charges were agreed as part of this year’s budget, and the council says they will “go live” in the spring.
Cabinet councillor Sean Rhodes said: “Having listened carefully to the feedback from local residents and businesses about how car park charging can work, we believe this scheme responds positively to the questions people raised about how we will put it into practice.
“We have always said that an element of free parking would remain, and we will keep ten per cent of short stay spaces free for those short trips we all make. At only 70p for the first hour for longer stays, we strongly believe this will not be a barrier to people getting out and about to visit local shops and other businesses, with parking charges in some neighbouring areas more than three times higher.
“We were also clear that we would not want people being charged to park when they visit their GP, for example. The validation system we are proposing will keep parking free for those important trips. Blue badge holders will continue to be able to park on-street as they do now, and will still be able to use our car parks for up to four hours for free under the new scheme.
“We know that many residents did not want to have to pay car park charges locally. However, the financial situation faced by the council, and the assumptions built into the previous budget by the previous administration, mean that we have had to take this decision.
“We are all used to paying for parking when we drive almost anywhere outside of South Gloucestershire, but I am pleased that we will be able to set charges as low as possible, while still generating important revenue for the council, which will allow us to protect other vital services.”
Unmarked speed vans roll out
AVON & Somerset police have introduced unmarked “road safety enforcement” vans across the force area.
Officers say the vans are being launched “to address persistent speeding issues in targeted locations” and encourage consistent safe driving behaviour. They say drivers often slow down when they see marked enforcement vehicles, only to resume speeding once they are out of sight. The force says the practice is legal, as there is no requirement for speed enforcement vehicles to be marked or for advance warnings to be provided.
Last year, 63 people died in road collisions across the region.