Changes to parking charges reflect needs of the city
Winchester City Council's Cabinet will be asked this week to approve increases in parking charges to generate £250,000 of additional income, as part of the draft budget for 2006/07.
The main parking charge of 70p per hour for short stays in the town will remain the same, as it is seen by shops and other businesses as being critical to the commercial success of the town centre.
The Park and Ride daily charge is proposed to be increased from £1.50 to £2.00 per day. There has been no increase on this charge since 1998 despite many improvements to the service including new buses and extended hours. The pre-paid rate for Park and Ride will be increased to £1.70 per day in order to continue encouraging regular use of the Park and Ride car parks.
In order to be consistent with the proposed increases of 50p per day for Park and Ride, the daily charge in the long-stay car parks will be increased from £3.50 to £4.00, with the daily charge in the premium long-stay car parks similarly increasing from £6.00 to £6.50. At the same time the season ticket charges for these car parks will be increased to retain the existing 20% discount for annual season tickets.
Cllr Richard Knasel, Portfolio Holder for Economy and Transport said, "The increase in parking charges has been developed to reflect the needs of the city and to help reduce congestion, generating value for money short stay parking and a Park and Ride system that is both comfortable and efficient."