Overnight pay-and-display charges to be scrapped
Adam Hewitt • Published 14 Dec 2010 09:30
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TRANSPORT bosses have beat a hasty retreat on overnight pay-and-display charges and plan to completely remove them.
Reading Borough Council said it is "responding to feedback from local residents and town centre visitors".
From mid-January, pay-and-display charges will only apply from 8am-8pm, instead of 24 hours a day, to help town centre residents and their visitors find a parking space at night and to make the town more attractive to night-time visitors.
The proposals will be discussed at the council's Cabinet meeting on January 17.
A council spokesperson said: "It should be noted the change in hours of operation of Pay and Display apply only to those bays which were previously in operation 24/7. They do not apply to Pay and Display bays located within residents parking zones, where the hours of operation will continue to be 10am-4pm."
There will be no pay and display charges on Christmas Day.
Borough transport leader Cllr Richard Willis said: "When the pay and display scheme was introduced I stated then it was an experiment. Evidence suggests while daytime charges have generally been accepted, overnight charges have caused some problems for a small number of residents and businesses.
"Together with the freeze in short-term car parking charges announced last week, this change ensures that town centre visitors and businesses are supported by the council."
The overnight charges had been the subject of lively discussion on local blogs and websites, including the Reading Forum.
One poster, johnmcga, wrote: "I'm actually all for charging people to park in these spaces during the day, but it seems ridiculous for the charges to apply 24/7.
"It's now impossible for anyone to park in those spaces overnight. I'm sure local residents use those spots when residents' bays are full - so I reckon this will put more pressure on those permit areas, not less."
Another contributor, mrsevans101, wrote: "I live on London Street and have a single parking space (for which I am very grateful). However the ridiculous and mercenary 24 hour pay and display regime means that it is now very dificult for friends to come and visit overnight without having to park in the Oracle or Queen's Road car park.
"I have no problem with the concept of pay and display, I appreciate that it is a busy town centre street but limiting stays to 2 hours overnight is just plain mean."
Another online commentator, former councillor Tony Jones, said: "Instead of 'responding to feedback' now (and wasting tax-payers money on having to make new signs) why not consult first?"
This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 14 Dec 10
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Tom_Ainsworth
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Dec 14, 12:29
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