Free parking for Newbury town centre? Options

[GMR]

Should WBC start thinking of doing away with parking fees in Newbury town? I went to Thatcham the other day - Saturday - and noticed that there was free parking and their town was doing well.

Woodstock in Oxfordshire has free parking to help their shops (as other towns do). I also noticed that certain towns across Britain has been given help with their declining towns problems; £100,000 cheque (?), and it was suggested free parking to vitalise their economy). Should we start thinking along those lines?

Most shoppers now go to places where there is free parking, for convenience. Retail park, Tesco's, Sainsbury's etc. Talking to people they told me that they would use Newbury town centre more if the parking was free.

[spartacus]

The trouble with things that are free is that people abuse them...
Free parking all day? What will happen is that the town centre workers who probably walk/cycle/bus to work to avoid charges for parking all day will then clog up the parking spaces and the shoppers will still be struggling to park and the shops won't get the turnover they need....

Parking is already free in Newbury in quite a few areas - you just have to get to your car within 1 or 2 two hours (like Sainsburys)

As for Thatcham, aren't they bringing is parking charges for the car parks?

[Andy Capp]

Maybe first hour free?

[GMR]

The trouble with things that are free is that people abuse them...
Free parking all day? What will happen is that the town centre workers who probably walk/cycle/bus to work to avoid charges for parking all day will then clog up the parking spaces and the shoppers will still be struggling to park and the shops won't get the turnover they need....

As Andy Capp suggested; the first hour free (or couple of hours).

Parking is already free in Newbury in quite a few areas - you just have to get to your car within 1 or 2 two hours (like Sainsburys)

Yes, but people want their cars nearby; that is why places like Sainsbury's and the Retail park are so popular. We mustn't forget that people are moving away from towns for easier parking places.

As for Thatcham, aren't they bringing is parking charges for the car parks?

I don't know.

[JeffG]

It doesn't take an economic genius to work out that allowing time-limited free parking in town would greatly increase footfall, and hence benefit everyone.

[Jayjay]

Parking is free in some car parks when you produce your parking ticket you get the cost back, or has this stopped in Newbury now?

[JeffG]

Parking is free in some car parks when you produce your parking ticket you get the cost back, or has this stopped in Newbury now?

I think that stopped when the late-lamented Mortimer's closed up.

[Jayjay]

I think that stopped when the late-lamented Mortimer's closed up.

No, it was very recently. Park in the KC car park, shop in one of the participating shops, get your ticket stamped and you get a discount on exiting the car park.

[Cognosco]

Maybe first hour free?

Perhaps the council will let us share their free parking in the allotments?

[spartacus]

No, it was very recently. Park in the KC car park, shop in one of the participating shops, get your ticket stamped and you get a discount on exiting the car park.

yep I think the signs are still up around the KC. Maybe it's just KC shops though, so quite limited...

[Simon Kirby]

Should WBC start thinking of doing away with parking fees in Newbury town?

Defo. I caught the news thingy too, and I think it would be a good thing for Newbury. Downside is the loss of revenue though, that shortfall will have to be made up somewhere I wonder how much net revenue we're talking about once you've paid to administer the collection of charges.

[Cognosco]

Defo. I caught the news thingy too, and I think it would be a good thing for Newbury. Downside is the loss of revenue though, that shortfall will have to be made up somewhere I wonder how much net revenue we're talking about once you've paid to administer the collection of charges.

Come on Simon think about this? You want to strip SLI of some of their profits? They gave us a new Shopping Center you know?

[Simon Kirby]

Come on Simon think about this? You want to strip SLI of some of their profits? They gave us a new Shopping Center you know?

I know, that even occured to me before I posted my comment.

[Druidor]

Well WBC have gone the other way and scrapped the free Sunday parking so get our £1 coins ready if you want to enter town in the evenings and Sundays from now on.


must be upgrading their brand of bickies for their meetings

[Roger T]

Luckily, I shop on line. I suppose £1 parking for the Cinema, isn't too bad. There is free parking along certain roads, just means a bit of luck, to find it.
Alternatively, I carry a missile launcher.
I saw it on Grand Theft Auto.

[blackdog]

Luckily, I shop on line. I suppose £1 parking for the Cinema, isn't too bad.

It's a pain if you are not going to the cinema - the evening parking fee was introduced to fund the cinema subsidy, now we get a Sunday fee to subsidise Parkway. Bah humbug!

[blackdog]

Oops! Double posted.

[gel]

Come on Simon think about this? You want to strip SLI of some of their profits? They gave us a new Shopping Center you know?

I hadn't realised that SLi was a charity

Wantage too has increased free parking to 2 hours to increase footfall, and it's worked there and in other Oxon towns.

[blackdog]

The parking issue in Newbury is dominated by the contract between WBC and SLI/Parkway - which is secret so we cannot know the real story behind the rise in prices.

However, we can guess - my theory: WBC have been shafted by SLI (again) - the £300k they proudly told us would be coming from the Parkway parking has turned into a £100k or more due to be paid by WBC to SLI thanks to a contract clause they are keeping secret. In a desperate attempt to make the news less disasterous when the accounts come out and the extent of the payment to SLI becomes evident thay have hiked up prices in all the other parks in the hope that drivers will start using the Parkway park and hence lower the subsidy that will have to be paid.

[Cognosco]

The parking issue in Newbury is dominated by the contract between WBC and SLI/Parkway - which is secret so we cannot know the real story behind the rise in prices.

However, we can guess - my theory: WBC have been shafted by SLI (again) - the £300k they proudly told us would be coming from the Parkway parking has turned into a £100k or more due to be paid by WBC to SLI thanks to a contract clause they are keeping secret. In a desperate attempt to make the news less disasterous when the accounts come out and the extent of the payment to SLI becomes evident thay have hiked up prices in all the other parks in the hope that drivers will start using the Parkway park and hence lower the subsidy that will have to be paid.

I just wonder what that huge £1.00 we made from SLI for Parkway has actually cost taxpayers?