I don't know. It might be that people actually stay longer. Yesterday we popped into town and put an hour parking on and did what we had to do, really it was all abit of a rush. When we go to Telford it is more leisurely as I am not having to check how much time is left on the ticket, so we spend more time round the shops and stop to have a drink and a bite to eat( although there's not much choice but that's a different matter)
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"This town is getting like a ghost town"
- Thread starter Mudhoney
- Start date
proactive
Enjoying a drop of red.
They aren't free car parks though, it's just that the shops/landlords choose to subsidise them for their customers in order to attract more in.
I'm sure if they wanted to, the shops in town could club together and pay the council whatever income they get from car parking and allow customers to park for 'free', but I doubt it would be a viable proposition.
Besides is paying £1.20 to park for a couple of hours REALLY an issue for people? Doubt it.
tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
With the price of petrol nowadays parking is relatively sod all!
staffordjas
Well-Known Forumite
I go into Home Bargains for one particular item and come out with carrier bags full of bargains as well.
Early for an appointment the other week , rather than charging along with my head down , I actually took my time to look up at the buildings along Eastgate Street . Some lovely work has gone into the old tops of the buildings.
Since then I've started making my walks into town more enjoyable by noticing all the different features of buildings.
(Also thought what an eyesore the area behind the Co-op is ! )
proactive
Enjoying a drop of red.
Precisely.
yes it adds up over the course of a year and i already pay enough tax on my car including vehicle excise duty,fuel duty, value added tax,insurance premium tax. i don't want to voluntary add parking tax to the list.
tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
Parking isn't really a tax though, if the council weren't getting an income from the car parks they'd sell them to developers and make you park out of town. Or make all new developments have parking, privately owned that they can still charge for if they wish. As a non-driver I'd object if my taxes were used to maintain car parks I never used, when an obvious mechanism exists to charge the ones who do use them. I'd want them all turned into parks instead, if I'm paying for them I'd like to enjoy them!
People choose to drive when they could walk, cycle or use public transport. I have no issue with them paying whatever it costs, as it is still their choice. I do however object to the fines system used currently when a much fairer system would be to pay for the hours you actually use.
People choose to drive when they could walk, cycle or use public transport. I have no issue with them paying whatever it costs, as it is still their choice. I do however object to the fines system used currently when a much fairer system would be to pay for the hours you actually use.
i object to my taxes being used for public transport with the amount of tax motorists pay we should have a gold plated road transport system
tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
Touché!
I suppose this is something we could go back and forwards on all day, having no kids and having a job means I can't see the point in benefits either, I'm sure that would change if my circumstances did though.
Regardless, I don't see why the council should be obligated to provide people with free parking spaces. And if they did I want one too, I'll store manure on it or something to wind up the people parked next to it :p
I suppose this is something we could go back and forwards on all day, having no kids and having a job means I can't see the point in benefits either, I'm sure that would change if my circumstances did though.
Regardless, I don't see why the council should be obligated to provide people with free parking spaces. And if they did I want one too, I'll store manure on it or something to wind up the people parked next to it :p
tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
Driving, like smoking, is taxed a lot because people wont stop. They are addicts, so you have a good revenue stream.
henryscat
Well-Known Forumite
Yes, there is a cost to the shops in having a free car park. However, retail parks and supermarkets tend to be built on non-town centre sites where the cost of land is much lower, so the subsidy per customer for the shops works out pretty low.
Indeed, with the quantity of shops I don't think you'd get a unanimous view.
No, I don't think it really is an issue. Parking in Stafford is cheap.
henryscat
Well-Known Forumite
Most bus services are commercially operated, with some public money going into bus service operators' grant and reimbursing the cost of carrying free pass holders. Public transport uses road space more efficiently and everyone on a bus is doing you a favour since they are not occupying road space in a car.
The road network is pretty good on the whole. The taxes paid by drivers do not cover the costs that the road transport system imposes, so your statement is incorrect.
would like to see some figures that prove motorists don't contribute there fair share last year i paid approx £730 in various motoring taxes.everyone should pay 100% of there personal transport cost wherever or however they choose to reach there destination
not if its paid for through taxation
Withnail
Well-Known Forumite
tek-monkey
wanna see my snake?
It costs 2 quid to get the bus from halfway up the stone road to sainsburys, maybe a mile? Are you honestly telling me I only get it at that bargain price as taxes subsidise it? If there are 2 of you a taxi is cheaper, are they subsidised too?