Hopes road charge hike will 'deter motorists'

The road charge covers the peninsula in Durham city centre, near the market place and cathedral

A council is planning to more than double the road charge in a city centre to put motorists off driving in the area.

Durham County Council is planning to increase the fee for driving within the Durham City peninsula from £2 per day to £5, as well as extending the zone's hours.

Kieron Moralee, the council's traffic management section manager, said the area could attract as many as 30,000 vehicles a month but had little on-street parking.

"This traffic in a largely pedestrian area has safety implications both during the day and at night and can also be unsightly in the historic core of our city," he said.

"We are proposing the increased charge and the hours it applies to deter motorists from coming into this area for these reasons."

The Durham Road User Charge Zone covers the area near Durham Cathedral and Castle, Durham Market Place, Durham Chorister School, Durham University colleges and a number of shops and businesses.

The council's website states the zone helps to reduce traffic and pollution, while encouraging "out-of-hours use of the area".

Currently, there is a £2 charge for entering the zone between 10:00 and 16:00, Monday to Saturday.

But under the plans the zone's operating hours would be extended from 10:00 to 02:00 every day.

Mr Moralee added people could continue to park elsewhere in the city and use a park and ride service to the centre of Durham.

A consultation on the changes has been launched and residents have until 19 December to have their say.