Assumptions that increased car parking charges deter shoppers are challenged by Carmarthenshire CC’s recent experiences.
The authority has repeatedly increased charges, to help meet budgetary pressures, and found demand to be resilient despite temporary dips.
A new report for the Welsh Government from MRUK Research says Carmarthenshire CC noticed an immediate decrease in parking after each increase in charges: ‘However, over the course of a year, usage tended to return to what it was before the price increase, resulting in higher revenue.
‘Over the last four years, they [the authority] have taken a deliberately incremental approach to the amounts by which they have increased car park charges. It is easy to see that this same demand curve might not be replicated with especially large or small charge increases.’
The report explores the relationship between car parking charges and town-centre footfall and concludes that the available evidence is ‘almost entirely anecdotal’.
It recommends that local authorities collect more robust data and consider the impacts of parking charges ‘in the broadest possible sense’.
Conducting surveys in several Welsh towns, MRUK Research asked what parking amendments would make respondents more likely to visit a town centre. The top three features were better accessibility of spaces, more spaces being available and car parking being closer to the town centre. Cheaper parking was rated fourth.
Half of the respondents were less likely to visit town centres because out-of-town sites offered free parking, and 60% said the cost of parking influenced how long they stayed in the town centre concerned.
