A BID to scrap the ‘30 minutes free’ in residents’ parking scheme areas in Bristol has been defeated.
Councillors also voted against bringing in £1 an hour charges in ten district car parks, including Westbury Hill in Westbury-on-Trym.
But they have agreed to increases in the fees for residents’ parking permits and to the first steps towards introducing a workplace parking levy in the city.
The Green Party-led Bristol City Council put forward a package of measures on parking, which were considered at a meeting of the transport and connectivity policy committee on September 12.
The Green committee members supported bringing in the charges for car parks and in RPS areas but were outvoted by members of other parties.
The decisions means that people wanting to park in Clifton to briefly visit shops will still be able to do so free of charge, provided that they are away from their vehicle no longer than half an hour.
Before the meeting, Councillor Tom Renhard, leader of the Labour group, said: “It is important that we take a measured approach to how we manage parking in the city and do not take actions that could impact on local high streets and small businesses, who are continuing to recover from recent economic shocks.”
This was a view shared by traders in Clifton Village, who told the Voice they feared shoppers would go elsewhere.
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Westbury on Trym Caroline Gooch said: “The car park in Westbury-on-Trym serves the doctor’s surgery. It would be the only surgery where people have to pay to attend, were it to be implemented. It also serves two churches and a community centre, with lots of community groups attended by children, the elderly and the lonely.
“Most churches and community centres have their own parking. But in Westbury-on-Trym, both the churches and the community centre, and the doctors and the pharmacy all use this particular car park. We’re worried about moving parking over onto the street, or people deciding to shop elsewhere. Cribbs Causeway is only six minutes away, and Aldi and Lidl are close by.”
After the meeting, Green group leader Cllr Emma Edwards said the decision showed the value of the democratic committee system.
She said: “I am in favour of exploring all options that can reduce congestion, improve air quality and raise money to improve transport for everyone in our city, so I’m disappointed that some of these changes were not passed. However, as I have said before, no one party has a monopoly on good ideas and that’s exactly what the committee system aims to utilise. We will now continue working cross party and with the communities that we serve, to make up the £276,000 a year that the council spends on keeping district car parks free in another way to make sure we balance the budget in the best interests of the people of Bristol.”
The committee agreed that the cost of a permit for a first car in an RPS would rise from £56 to £124.
Councillor Edwards said she was concerned about the possible unintended consequences, in that commuters might seek to park in streets just outside the designated residents’ parking scheme zones.