Ministers should consider broadening the way public transport is financed and learn from innovative schemes like Nottingham’s workplace parking levy, campaigners have said.
Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) said its research on the issue was endorsed by a round table of transport experts that met to share ideas and examine new sources of funding.
Nottingham's workplace parking levy raises around £9m a year
Nottingham’s levy on workplace parking spaces was introduced in 2012 and is an annual charge paid by employers in the city with more than 10 parking spaces.
This levy now raises around £9m a year, which is ringfenced to finance the city’s public transport, including new tram lines, electric buses and the regeneration of the railway station.
According to CBT, other cities like Oxford and Cambridge are considering implementing similar schemes.
CBT chief executive Stephen Joseph said: ‘Other countries use a much wider range of means to finance their public transport, especially at local level. If barriers to new funding streams from property and local charging could be removed, this could help make new public transport schemes happen.
'Nottingham’s workplace parking levy has proved to be a very good way of raising money for public transport improvements, with other cities now looking to replicate its success. It’s exactly this kind of practical outcome of sharing of ideas and expertise that Tracks was set up to do.’
The round table was hosted by Oxfordshire CC as part of CBT’s ‘Tracks’ thought leadership programme.
Bob Menzies, Cambridgeshire CC’s service director, strategy and development, said: ‘The Tracks event on workplace parking was an extremely useful discussion around the benefits and challenges faced by authorities considering a workplace parking levy.
‘The ability to explore the issues in depth both with those who had the experience and others considering this approach, was a great help in developing our thinking about how a levy could benefit Cambridge.’
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