Several free car parks across Bristol are set to become pay and display after controversial plans were approved this week. Drivers will have to pay to park in 10 district car parks beyond their first hour, which will remain free following an amendment to the proposal.
Bristol City Council revealed plans last year to charge drivers to use these 10 car parks, as part of a plan to improve enforcement and stop drivers staying there all day. Blue badge holders will be exempt from paying to use the car parks.
Last year it forecasted that the cost of installing pay and display machines will be £80,000. A council report in 2023 said: “The occupancy levels at 10 of the other free district car parks are relatively high, so there is a reasonable degree of confidence that the introduction of pay and display in these will enable improved management, by making enforcement more efficient, discouraging all day parking, maximising the use of space, and ensuring effective turnover of spaces.”
The 10 car parks which will introduce pay and display are at:
- Beechwood Road in Frome Vale
- Callington Road in Brislington
- Chalks Road in St George
- Derby Street in St George
- Ducie Road in Lawrence Hill
- Machin Road in Henbury
- Repton Road in Brislington
- Stoke View Road in Eastville
- Waverley Road in Shirehampton
- Westbury Hill in Westbury
The charges were initially proposed by the former Labour administration but were deferred by a year in a deal with the Conservatives to approve the annual budget. Bristol city councillors approved the new fees on Thursday, December 5, just three months after they rejected almost identical proposals.
The decision means drivers, after the first free hour, will be charged £1.50 for two hours, £3 for three and £4.50 for four, alongside reserved bays for health centres at £5 per permit.
The new charges at Westbury Hill car park sparked massive opposition because it serves a GP surgery, two churches and many community groups, along with local shops. The transport and connectivity policy committee voted 7-2 to introduce pay and display.
Cllr Nicholas Coombes (Lib Dem, Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze) secured cross-party support for an amendment to council officers’ recommendations, to retain one free-hour parking from ticket machines instead of being only available on the RingGo app.
This article was first published in January 2023 and has been updated for December 2024 following the final decision