HAVE Liverpool's theatre-goers and boffins missed out in Mayor Joe's autumn parking sale?
Car parking charges across the city centre’s Inner Control Zone are set to be slashed to their old rate of £2 an hour – with meters charging £5 for a four-hour stay.
Good news regarding money matters is rare in municipal announcements and this one is bound to be popular with shoppers and visitors - but perhaps not in every quarter.
The Hope Street area, home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Everyman, Unity and many university departments, does not figure in the plan – even though charges went up by a whopping 40pc plus last year.
Proposals
Until then, as part of the Outer Control Zone, it had cost 70p for half an hour or £1.40 for a whole hour. The new rules sent those prices soaring to £1.10p and £2.20p respectively, bringing it into line with the whole of the city centre.
The new moves are part of proposals being put forward by the city council to reduce the cost of parking at city centre pay-and-display bays by almost 10 per cent, with an even bigger reduction at Mount Pleasant car park to £4 a day, making it among the cheapest in town.
People parking in car parks in the London Road area do well too, seeing a reduction of almost 10 per cent (£1 for up to one hour, reduced from £1.10) with the maximum capped at £3.50.
Consultation is also beginning over increasing the maximum time vehicles can park at pay and display bays in the inner zone from two hours to four (see the full list below).
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “These proposed changes will bring real benefits for city centre motorists as well as giving a boost to businesses.
Penalty
“The plans aim to attract more people into the city centre by achieving two things - making parking less punishing on people’s pockets, and giving them more time to shop, eat, do business and visit attractions – without worrying about getting a parking ticket.”
But not, seemingly, if you want to take the kids to the Phil.
lThe way things stand, the current Sunday charge and limit to a two-hour stay on Hope Street means that anyone attending a Family Concert there risks incurring a penalty if they park near by.
The council says the proposed changes aim to promote the use of the city centre’s parking bays by making them more affordable and convenient for shoppers and visitors. It forms part of a major, city-wide review into the city’s parking policy, with further proposed changes to be announced shortly.
Will there be a baton charge in protest in and around the Philharmonic Hall?
I hope the Mayor goes one better and introduced a flat £1 charge for Sunday parking – whether it is for five minutes or all day. That would give the city centre a massive weekend boost.
Who, where, what
Under the proposals, the cost for parking for 30 minutes at a city centre pay-and-display bay will fall from £1.10 to £1; up to one hour will be cut from £2.20 to £2; up to one hour and 30 minutes will be reduced from £3.30 to £3; and up to two hours will fall from £4.40 to £4. There will be a capped cost of £5 for parking for between two and four hours.
Winners: Motorists parking
on Castle StreetThe streets affected are: Back Leeds Street, Moorfields, Berry Street , Newington Street, Bixteth Street, North John Street, Bold Street, Old Hall Street, Bolton Street, Old Haymarket, Brunswick Street, Old Leeds Street, Castle Street, Parr Street, Cheapside, Preston Street, Colquitt Street, Primrose Hill, Covent Garden, Renshaw Street, Crosshall Street, Rumford Place, Dale Street, Rumford Street, Drury Lane, Seel Street, Duke Street, Sir Thomas Street, Earle Street, Skelhorne Street, East Street, Slater Street, Edmund Street, St Nicholas Place, Exchange Street East, Stanley Street, Exchange Street West, Tithebarn Street, Fenwick Street, Trueman Street, Fontenoy Street, Victoria Street, Harrington Street, Water Street, Hatton Garden, William Brown Street, High Street.
*People can visit here to find out more about the proposals and leave feedback. The consultation period over the proposals ends on 21 September 2012.
