The new tariffs are designed to encourage more effective use of existing car parks while reducing unnecessary journeys. It is anticipated that the resulting reduction in traffic congestion in the town centre will improve air quality.
The new charging structure will be as follows:
Northgate End car park
• The ‘All day’ charge will be reduced from £5.20 to £4.20
• The ‘Five hour’ charge will be reduced from £4.30 to £3.70
• The ‘Four hour’ charge will be reduced from £3.50 to £3.20
• The one, two and three hour charges will be frozen
Apton Road and Basbow Lane car parks
• The ‘All day’ charge will be increased to £6.50
• The ‘Five hour’ charge will be increased to £4.60
• All other charges will rise by approximately 6.7%, in line with inflation
Elm Road car park
• The ‘All day’ charge will be increased to £4.20
• The ‘Five hour’ charge will be increased to £3.70
Councillor Tim Hoskin, East Herts Executive Member for Sustainability, said: “Bishop’s Stortford’s town centre car parks are often the first choice for long-stay parkers. As a result, they are often full to capacity by 9am which means that shoppers often find it difficult to find a space and end up driving between car parks in search of a space.
“This increased traffic movement results in congestion, adds to air pollution and makes the town centre a less appealing place to visit. The steps we are taking are designed specifically to mitigate against this and to encourage long-stay parkers to use Northgate End. We will, of course, monitor the impact of the new charging structure carefully.”
To help drivers save time when looking for somewhere to park, the council has recently installed Variable Messaging Signs (VMS) which will direct people to available spaces. In addition, the council is also supporting the use of cars which are less polluting cars through the installation of e-vehicle chargers in Northgate End car park and other locations around Bishop’s Stortford.
