Traders find parking spaces they say should be free for an hour

[joshua]

Traders have joined forces to call for free one-hour parking spaces to encourage more shoppers into their town centre. More than 120 retailers have signed a petition calling on Staffordshire County Council to introduce the short stay parking offer in various Stafford streets – and have identified 84 potential spaces.
Currently free parking in many town centre streets is limited to just 30 minutes. Shoppers have to pay to use the Stafford Borough Council-run car parks, while larger retailers’ parking facilities are for customer use for limited time periods.
On Thursday traders handed over their petition to county councillor Jonathan Price in Market Square. They believe the free parking offer could help attract more people to the town centre for shopping and leisure in the wake of thousands of new homes being built in the area.
Dee Mellor, owner of Salter Street Toys and Models, said, “Our customers tell us they want to support the local independent shops, but parking restrictions make this difficult. There is little free on-street parking, and what exists is limited to 20 or 30 minutes.
“Additional free spaces will have an immediate impact and provide a vital boast for town centre shops.”
Tim Sandy, owner of the Grove Coffee House, said, “Supermarkets and retail parks thrive on the convenience of free parking, we want to level the playing field. Not every shopper wants to spend the day in town and offering free short-stay parking will allow us to compete for this vital pop-in trade.”
Michelle Hall, assistant manager of Clintons, said, “If you want to buy a greeting card, it’s easier to park outside Tesco for free, rather than spend £1.10 on parking and walk into the High Street. We need to open up the town centre to make it just as convenient to shop in town as it is at retail parks and supermarkets.
“If we can increase footfall it will encourage new shops to open.”
Terry Cope, landlord of the Bird in Hand Public House added, “At 6pm the hour restriction would end and this would promote evening trade for restaurants, cinema, theatres and bars.”
Stafford town centre is being transformed using more than £14m from the government’s Future High Street Fund and traders want to see convenient access at the heart of the regeneration plans. Stafford Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council are working on projects including improving the area outside the town’s railway station and the regeneration of Eastgate Street, while the iconic Shire Hall in Market Square recently reopened as a business hub.
Community leaders have also backed the call for free one hour parking. Borough councillor Marnie Phillips, who works in the town centre, said: “There are plenty of spaces at the moment used for buses, such as at the back of the Guildhall where there is a lane and not many buses – it doesn’t need a bus lane.
“Spaces could be found to make additional short stay free parking spaces to allow elderly people to have a cup of coffee or go and get prescriptions. Not everybody has a disabled badge and these are not things they want to have to find a parking space and walk a distance for.”
Fellow borough councillor Chris Baron, who represents the town centre Forebridge ward, said: “I think the traders need help and this is something we have to consider for the smaller retailers and their customers. I fully support it if people don’t want to stay in town and do a big shop but want to go to one or two shops, as long as it is policed properly so people don’t go over time.”
David Williams, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport at Staffordshire County Council said: “There are a number of on street parking spaces close to the town centre that provide people with short stay access to the town. For those who need to stay longer a number of off street car parks are also provided within key locations across the town.


“We have received the petition and will consider it in due course.”

 

[kyoto49]

This town is backwards. Encouraging car use will never be the solution!

 

[Feed The Goat]

“We have received the petition and will consider it in due course.”

Council speak translation :

"It is hanging on a nail in the chief execs washroom"

 

[tek-monkey]

If you consider a parking nazi only has to issue a few fines per day to pay for himself, you'd think the idea of increased free short stay spaces but screwed if you overstay would be welcome to the private firms that fleece the shoppers. Unless this is just about extending the time on spaces that are currently only 30 mins?

As for the nighttime parking charges, who dreamt that up? You've got people driving others into town to eat and drink while they stay sober and ferry them back, so you decide to make an extra quid out of them. Not like they can use public transport instead because it's terrible especially in the evening, they know it's a captive market so instead of making the town welcoming to entice people in they decide they can make a few extra quid. I know it's only a quid a car but it's the principle of the thing, do they even patrol them at night?

 

[Jonah]

This town is backwards. Encouraging car use will never be the solution!

I'm not saying you are wrong but there really isn't a lot of choice with the state of the bus service in the town. I know there is the option of walking or cycling but even that isn't viable at times.

 

[tek-monkey]

I'm not saying you are wrong but there really isn't a lot of choice with the state of the bus service in the town. I know there is the option of walking or cycling but even that isn't viable at times.

As someone who did just that into my 40s I can tell you shopping for anything that won't fit in a rucksack is a pain.

 

[The Hawk]

As someone who did just that into my 40s I can tell you shopping for anything that won't fit in a rucksack is a pain.

 

[kyoto49]

I'm not saying you are wrong but there really isn't a lot of choice with the state of the bus service in the town. I know there is the option of walking or cycling but even that isn't viable at times.

Yeah i know. The buses are limited and overpriced, and the cycle paths on all the main arterial routes non existant. By cycle path I mean safe and segregated with priority at all junctions and roundabouts given to cyclists. Like they do in other cycling friendly countries, and to be honest even some UK towns like Cambridge do this well!

 

[kyoto49]

As someone who did just that into my 40s I can tell you shopping for anything that won't fit in a rucksack is a pain.

Don't disagree but the vast majority of town shoppers would only be able to buy a book, some sportswear or outdoor items anyway cos that's all the shops we have left. They would all fit in a small rucksack! Supermarkets are free to park already

 

[gilesjuk]

When I worked in Stafford but lived somewhere else I would often drive into the town centre for lunch. Not much point mandating I use a bus or cycle when I have a car with me and limited time. I used to park in free car parks and walk into the centre. All of those car parks have cameras and would fine you for doing that now. If I had to pay to go into the town centre then I'd have just gone to a supermarket instead.