WHY park in Manchester when it’s so much cheaper to leave your car over the river in Salford?
Here at Confidential we know the rising cost of parking a car in the city centre is a issue. So we used up some shoe leather strolling over the Irwell bridges.
As long as people are willing to pay, these car parks will continue to charge these ridiculous fees
The research was neither scientific nor exhaustive but it hightlighted some ludicrous differences in the amount charged at different car parks.
Crucially, the whole experiment took less than an hour and was done entirely on foot. All of these car parks are within easy walking distance of each other and very close to the city centre or in the heart of it. Even the furthest away is a five minute walk from Marks and Spencer.
We’re not talking about parking on the wrong side of town and walking miles to the main retail area of Manchester.
But that 500m, as the crow flies, distance between the cheapest and the most expensive parking can for result in an £24 surcharge for a full day.
The NCP car park on King Street West, behind House of Fraser (Kendals) is by far the worst offender, charging £6.80 for just two hours — more than four times the price of a full weekend day on Gravel Lane in Greengate, Salford. And 24 hours will set you back £25.50, even though the most you need ever pay in Salford is currently a whopping £2.20.
The King Street West car parking is thus just about the most expensive in the UK.
How much?
The cluster of car parks, located on or around Greengate, are only ten minutes walk away from King Street by Google Maps’ conservative estimate. With my long legs it wasn’t even five.
Market Place car park (another NCP), which is nearer to Salford than Deansgate, charges £16.60 for the whole day, roughly five times the average price on the other side of the Irwell.
As a minority shareholder, Manchester City Council has representation on the NCP Manchester Ltd board, which sets the prices in car parks across the city.
Greengate (A) Less Than 500m To Harvey Nichols
All this begs the question, how can they get away with charging as much as they do?
The answer must be that people are willing to pay it.
Or maybe people don't know that a very short walk away they could save lots of money. Are people ignorant of these options, or simply don't care about paying so much? Weirdly, in a reversal of usual welfare standards the high city centre parking rates seem to damage the wallets of pensioners and the infirm more than any other sector of society.
Perhaps there will come a point when the Salford options are too good to avoid - especially on warm, dry days.
Confidential’s car park price guide:
Prices are for a full day, unless specified otherwise.
King St (NCP) - £25.50 (£6.80 for 2hrs)
Market Place (NCP) - £16.60 (£4.30 for 2hrs)
Station Approach, Chapel St - £4.50 (Mon-Fri), £3.50 (Sat), £3 (Sun)
Greengate - £3 (Mon-Fri), £2 (Sat-Sun)
Note: Currently reduced to £2.20 due to poor road surface
Gravel Lane - £3 (Mon-Fri), £1.50 (Sat-Sun)
You can follow Paul on Twitter @paulberentzen
So close you can actually see the pink 'Welcome to Salford' sign
Gravel Lane - winner of the 'Cheapest Weekend Parking' award
Station Approach - not the most professional...
...but it is a cracking riverside location
Hardly seems worth it
