No increases are planned to the rates for short-stay parking across the city’s car parks. Councillors will discuss a report at Cambridge City Council’s Environment Scrutiny Committee next week (12 January) that proposes no increase to the rates for short-stay parking.
The council’s Shopmobility customers and Blue Badge holders will continue to receive three hours’ free parking.
However, business permit and season ticket holders will pay more to park, and weekday charges will come in an hour earlier in the mornings.
As well as freezing the main charges the council will continue to invest in its parking facilities.
The council is preparing a major investment to transform the multi-storey car park at Park Street into a new 250 space underground car park, with housing and cycle parking.
In addition to this, almost a million pounds of repairs and service improvements is being reinvested over the next 12 months, including new payment facilities across the car parks.
Work is scheduled next summer to carry out essential repairs to Queen Anne Terrace car park.
At Grand Arcade, the council is looking at ways to improve the drainage in the car park, and drawing up plans to convert the car park lighting to LED before the end of the next financial year in March 2017. Repairs to Grafton East roof will also go ahead next year.
Other plans in the pipeline for 2016 will bring easier ways to pay for parking including contactless payment, and new parking equipment at Queen Anne Terrace and the Grafton Centre car parks.
Cllr Kevin Blencowe, Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport, said: “We are holding car parking charges for shoppers this year, in light of good performance on the car parks, continuing low inflation levels, and in response to the requests of retailers.
“Charges to season tickets holders will better reflect the real costs of all-day parking, and start times for weekday charges are changing to discourage early morning congestion around the car parks.
“We are preparing for a huge investment at Park Street car park. Our programme of repairs and improvements across the car parks shows how we are continuing to reinvest in services to support our local economy and benefit our car park customers.”
- Nearly 2.5 million people park in the city’s car parks each year. 80 per cent of customers park for three hours or less. Ninety per cent park for four hours or less. Cambridge’s short-stay parking charges are similar to those of other historic cities, like Oxford and York.
*******
Contacts
Cllr Kevin Blencowe, (Labour Group) Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport, email kevin.blencowe@gmail.com, tel: 07914 700602
Cllr Catherine Smart (Liberal Democrat Group), Opposition spokesperson, email: chlsmart@cix.co.uk , tel: 01223 511210
Cllr John Hipkin (Minorities Group), Opposition spokesperson, email: castleindependent@gmail.com , tel: 01223 564126
Simon Payne, Director of Environment, email: simon.payne@cambridge.gov.uk , tel: 01223 458517
Paul Necus, Head of Specialist Services, email: paul.necus@cambridge.gov.uk , tel: 01223 458510
___________________________________________