CRAFTY CAR PARKING | | City centre car parking can cost big bucks |
If public transport campaigns don't discourage you to drive into Yorkshire's city centres, the lack of available car parking spaces, not to mention the cost, certainly will. But, as Inside Out discovers, some city workers are getting a free ride - at our expense. The same councillors who are trying to keep cars out of Yorkshire's cities, are those continuing to provide free parking for themselves and thousands of Town Hall employees. An undercover Inside Out operation found that many of Yorkshires "anti-car" cities and towns are providing free spaces for hundreds of people. Job perkOn the back of October's revelation that MPs were claiming £78 million in expenses, you would think "job perks" would be clamped down on. But it seems that depends on who, and where you are. Inside Out found some surprising statistics about cities and towns in the region. Sheffield is home to some of the Britain's toughest anti-car policies, yet it provides free car parking spaces for almost 900 council workers. Six hundred lucky Leeds council workers get free parking, 400 spaces are provided in Bradford, Hull offers cut price parking passes, and in Lincoln nearly a quarter of Town Hall staff enjoy free parking. These figures may be hard to take for the many members of the public who have to rely on public transport. Car use by the public is being discouraged by many councils by: - High car parking costs
- Increased pedestrianised areas
- Planning restrictions on car parking in new developments
But isn't this all just a double standard? Defending the systemSheffield City Council's parking boss, John Bann, defends the parking situation and says the set up is a fair one. He says many of the people using free spaces have to use their car for work; therefore it's only fair they get free parking. But a researcher posted at Sheffield's Eyre St car park recently found that only 14 cars with council passes were moved between 9am and 5pm. So, if the majority of workers aren't using their cars during their working day, shouldn't the council practice what it preaches? Surely the push to keep cars out of the city should begin with those making the rules?  | | Some workers at Sheffield Town Hall enjoy free car parking |
John Bann admits that the council should be looking into the situation but said it takes time to make these sorts of changes. "We are trying to persuade people," he says. "You must recognise that when staff have been used to bringing their cars to work over the years, you can't just decide they're not going to do it anymore. "You've got to consult them." One rule for allSome commuters, who are forced to pay the price of driving into work, are angry with the situation. They feel that that workers from Town Halls, who flaunt their "green image", should be leaving their own cars at home. Robert Taylor owns a chain of hairdressing salons in Yorkshire. He says he has been affected by Town Hall workers getting parking freebies. He found that parking bays, across from his two shops in Sheffield, were being suspended. They were apparently "off limits" so that contractors working at the Town Hall could park their vehicles there all day. Robert says the shortage of spaces is costing him business - and threatening the long term viability of the city centre.  | | Many workers say public transport isn't reliable |
"It's a nightmare," he says. "You pay a lot to run a car and the council wants us to use the bus." Robert believes that eventually the lack of appropriate car parking will keep visitors away from cities like Sheffield. But, more to the point, shouldn't there be one rule for everyone, rather than a rule which depends on who, and where you are? Future plansSheffield City Council defends its offer of free car parking for Town Hall staff. They say that only 10% of their workforce is offered a car parking bay and that the majority of those are necessary for work to be carried out adequately. But, after being confronted by Inside Out's report, they say they will be encouraging more employees to use public transport. They also say they are going to consider a Town Hall car sharing scheme. Only time will tell if the situation changes, but in the meantime, commuters remain faced with a car parking battle.
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Inside Out - Yorkshire & Lincolnshire: Monday November 1, 2004