Calls for Free Car Parks to be Expanded Across North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire Council is undertaking a significant overhaul of its parking policies across the county, leading to discussions about the future of free town centre car parking.

The move comes as traders in North Yorkshire towns face constant competition from supermarkets, out-of-town shopping centres, and online shopping, which often offer free parking or eliminate the need to travel.

At a recent full council meeting, Councillor Keane Duncan, who was until recently the council's transport lead, raised concerns about the challenges faced by town traders.

It's very tough right now for North Yorkshire's Town Traders.

They face constant competition from the supermarkets with free parking from out of town shopping centres with free parking, and of course from online shopping where you don't even need to leave home, nevermind pay to park.

Parking charges can act as a deterrent to trade

So with support for our traders, absolutely key. Can you give an assurance that the free parking currently available in a number of North Yorkshire towns will be protected?

And if so, in the spirit of fairness, can you confirm when free parking might be made available in towns currently without it? 

Responding to the query, Councillor Malcolm Taylor, Executive Member for Highways and Transportation, explained that the council inherited a variety of different parking policies from the former district and borough councils with some providing free parking and others charging for car park spaces.

"We inherited a variety of different parking policies officers have been developing a parking principles document that aims to reduce the complexity that currently exists, which will also see the adoption of more specific countywide policies to provide more consistency.

There is clear recognition that parking both paid for and free needs to be managed in such a way to support the vitality and attractiveness of town centres, while it's also recognizing that there needs to be a fair and balanced approach across the county.

The consideration of parking incentives is something that will be looked at at this stage, no changes to current arrangements are proposed. "

A report presented to councillors earlier this month by Steve Brown, head of parking services, outlined the strategic direction for parking management. The council's goal is to develop a consistent parking strategy for car parks and on-street parking it controls. The report detailed a three-stage approach to adopt policies in a phased manner. The first stage involves the development of these parking principles, which include a plan for a one-off review of all charges to consider their appropriateness. This review is deemed necessary due to the "major variances" in off-street charges inherited by the council. Following this process, parking rules, tariffs, and investment priorities will be kept under annual review.

However, the report also presented insights that complicate the argument for widespread free parking. Surveys have reportedly shown that the availability and certainty of finding a space, rather than its cost, is most important to motorists. The report further suggested that free parking offers could reduce the ability to manage availability levels and potentially encourage a ‘rush back’ to the car rather than prompting visitors to stay longer and spend more. Additionally, such offers could encourage short local trips by car that might otherwise be made using alternative modes of transport.

Other proposals within the council's parking review include a bolstering of parking enforcement to keep contraventions down to an acceptable level. The council is also exploring the adoption of more "frictionless arrangements" such, as barrier-free parking, noting that best practice involves moving away from pay-and-display towards a pay-on-foot or pay-on-exit approach. A unified mobile phone parking app for the whole of North Yorkshire is also planned to replace the various apps used by predecessor authorities.

Future stages of the review will involve creating specific policy papers to detail how the principles will be put into action, alongside the development of town-specific parking strategies.