Controversial new parking charges come into force in Southampton
Two hours' free parking at 17 car parks across the city is being scrapped
Free 2 hour parking will become a thing of the past at 17 car parks across Southampton today.
The controversial plans by the city council will see motorists charged 50p for an hours' stay at selected car parks in Woolston, Bitterne, Portswood, and Shirley.
A new charging period runs 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm.
The council says it will monitor and review the parking demand and footfall within the District Centres from today until Tuesday 30 September to assess whether the changes to the parking tariff and charging periods are having a significant impact on car park use and visitor numbers.
Councillor Keogh, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: “The changes to the parking tariffs and new charging period will support the operation and maintenance of the sites, including pothole repairs and relining of bays, whilst also seeking to manage demand for the car parks.
“We want to ensure parents and carers can drop off and collect their child without any concerns which is why we have introduced the new permit for those individuals. Over the next few months, we will be monitoring usage and footfall at our district centres to see if they are significantly affected by the new tariffs and if there is such an impact, the tariffs will be reviewed”.
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