Revised parking charges rolled out in city centre

Fulford resident Josh said he was not "best pleased" by the increase

Reduced parking charges have been rolled out across areas of York city centre, following public backlash at a previous 500% price hike.

York Council has set the new pricing model at £3 per hour in car parks and residential areas outside the inner ring road.

Kate Ravilious, executive member for transport said while the council recognised the previous price increase was "too much in one go", it remained committed to tackling congestion.

However, some people have expressed reservations about the new charges, including Bobby Paul, co-owner of Pextons Hardware on Bishopthorpe Road who said he worried "the damage was already done" in the community.

"£3 is still arguably too much, and customers tell us so. I think it could do with being sub-£2 especially from the old 80p charge," he said.

"We've all seen a drop, and a fairly big drop [in business]. People who used to come here with their old shopping patterns have changed - but we'll see."

In late April, car parking spots, including Micklegate and Bishopthorpe Road, saw prices rise by 500%, from 80p per hour to £4.85.

But, after an angry response from residents and traders, the council agreed to drop prices.

Bobby Paul from Pextons expressed his doubts about the new charges

Simon Kneafsey from M&K Butchers in Bishopthorpe Road said a balance had to be struck between encouraging the support of local high streets, without making rates attractive to people only visiting the city centre.

"Although not everyone will be happy with how much it's been reduced to, we've certainly done our best and I think that's a fair price for people who want to park and come shopping," he said.

"If it was cheaper than that, it might get abused by people who want to park there and wander off into town."

Simon Kneafsey from M&K Butchers said a balance had to be struck

Vicky Harris, manager of Millies Fruit & Veg, which backs onto the Bishopthorpe Road car park said the 35-space site had been noticeably emptier since the initial price hike.

"There's normally people queuing to get spaces - that's customers, that's clients. It's now about half full," she said.

"We all know that things go up but... it's just not enough, and I think it's created permanent lost custom because people aren't aware it's slightly come down."

Using the car park to run errands, Fulford resident Josh echoed Ms Harris' sentiments, and said he had been able to find a space easily.

"If it's designed to get people to not use the car, looks like it's working. It used to be busy in here and now it's nearly dead," he said.

"It's gone up a lot - I'm still paying it, but I'm not best pleased. They need to strike a medium I think."

The council previously said April's hikes were needed to deal with traffic issues and to help balance council finances.

Ravilious added that adjustments were made after the local authority had listened to the public's concerns.

"While we remain committed to tackling congestion and making it easier for everyone to get around, we recognise some of the uplift in charges in areas where they were previously very low has felt too much in one go," she said.

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