The British Parking Association (BPA) welcomes the government’s desire to see the UK’s high streets prosper but has considerable reservations about the recommendations relating to parking.
In response to the government commissioned independent review of high streets, undertaken by Mary Portas, the BPA has raised concerns at the report’s failure to acknowledge that car park users are not solely influenced by price.
The BPA reiterates its view that there is no such thing as free parking – someone pays for it somewhere. When making parking choices it is not just price that is considered by car park users, they also taken into account quality, convenience, safety and accessibility of the destination.
It also stresses the importance of encouraging consistency and parity between public and private parking operations to try and minimise confusion for motorists. The BPA is committed to ensuring there is effective communication with the public to ensure they understand parking regulations, why car parking often has to be charged for, how to appeal against parking tickets and also how to park considerately and sensibly.
Patrick Troy, Chief Executive adds “There is no such thing as free parking. Someone has to pay for it somewhere. Significantly reducing or eliminating charges in local authority-run car parks would be bad news for the high streets with car parks declining in quality and safety as owners no longer invest in them. We believe the best results are achieved where local authority parking providers work in partnership with local businesses and traders to deliver quality but sensibly-priced car parking. The government should use this opportunity to encourage such partnership working between the public and private sectors.”
