The latest figures, published by climate charity Possible, reveal the significant increase in costs between a parking permit, used for vehicles such as cars and trucks, and the cost of parking posts for others to use the space aims. It is 115 times more expensive to secure a parking space in the UK, at an average weekly cost of £158.06, than to pay for a parking permit, which costs an average of £1.38 per week, the figures showed. Parking posts can be used for a variety of purposes, such as bypasses and commuting, but have also been used as communal areas for seating, gardens or bicycle parking. Possible’s head of car-free cities, Hirra Khan Adeogun, accused local authorities of allowing private cars to dominate public spaces and called for people to be prioritized over the use of private vehicles. “We’re letting private cars hold our public space hostage,” he said. “The fact that some cities don’t even charge for parking just shows how local politicians are missing opportunities to free cities from the dominance of cars.” According to a study by the RAC Foundation, cars are left parked and unused for an average of 23 hours a day, with the average car or van in England being driven just 4% of the time, a figure that has barely changed. the last 25 years. Khan Adeogun added: “Most of the time private cars are completely unused and take up valuable public space. “We need to move to a better system, one that puts people first over private vehicles, gives communities space to thrive and makes them happier, healthier and greener places to live.” The investigation found that Nottingham, Bradford and Leeds had no weekly parking permit charge, but the weekly costs for parking posts were £23.38, £70 and £187.60 respectively. In Liverpool, the weekly cost of a parking permit is just 4p, but it costs £193 for a weekly parking suspension. While it was more expensive to get a parking permit in London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Bristol, Newcastle and Manchester, the report found there were still “significant gaps” between these costs and the cost of parking suspension. In these six cities, parking suspensions were between 33 and 353 times more expensive than a parking permit. The most expensive weekly parking permit was in Manchester at £4.33. Posible is calling on local councils to review the cost of parking permits to better reflect the impact of car ownership on the rest of society through pollution, road hazard and loss of space. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Rob Bryher, Bristol car-free campaigner Possible, said: “The shocking differences between the figures for different cities show how inconsistent the approach is to helping communities reclaim public spaces dominated by car parking. “In Bristol alone, a parking post is 256 times more expensive than paying for a residential parking permit, completely preventing communities from seeing the potential of their streets no longer being car parks. “We need to empower communities to transform their streets so they can reconnect with each other and with a bit of nature, while fighting for the climate in the process.” Some spaces previously used for vehicle parking have been repurposed for community use, such as public seating or bicycle parking. The charity wants to see an “affordable and easy process” for residents to “reclaim public space in ways that bring communities together, reduce car dominance and help the climate”. David Renard, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: “Councils need to manage competing demands when setting on-street and in-bay parking charges and take local conditions into account. “Hanging bays provide very limited additional road space and are commonly used to assist with building renovations and house moves. “Councils are working hard to find other ways to encourage more walking and cycling in local communities, such as introducing low-traffic neighbourhoods.”
