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Letter: The Cardigan Example Could Be A Lesson For Guildford
Published on: 16 Jul, 2015
Updated on: 17 Jul, 2015
From Bernard Parke
A parking ticket machine in Tunsgate
Hon Alderman and former Mayor
I understand that in a recent report concerning Cardigan, where the pay and display meters have been put out of commission, trade has, as a result, increased considerably.
Perhaps this is a lesson that other towns could learn, especially here in Guildford?
Short-term parking here is 80p for only a half hour’s stay, which I am sure residents will agree is too limited. In fact, one often has to pay £1 for this period as no change is given.
No doubt it would help trade considerably if this time limit was increased to £1 for an hour’s stay.
Such a move would help our High Street shops stay in business.
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John Lomas
July 16, 2015 at 11:45 pm
Along with the suggestion above, could I make an observation regarding Park and Ride schemes.
I have noticed around the country that schemes which park for free and charge for the ride do not encourage long shopping trips because there is a physical limit to what a person can carry at any one time.
Pay to park and ride for free, on the other hand, permits longer shopping visits because people can load up with purchases, take them back to their car and then return to town for more shopping, thus generating more business for the shops.
I doubt many people park for free and pay for more than one ride.
David Rose
July 17, 2015 at 11:20 am
Cardigan in Wales can’t be compared to Guildford – the ‘regional centre of the South East’.
I was in that part of Wales last summer, it’s a very attractive but sleepy place.
Over there I guess they need to slash parking fees to attract visitors.
That, for better or worse, does’t seem to be required in Guildford.
Guildford’s car parks always seem well used, so people therefore must be prepared to pay.
We know we live in ‘rip off Surrey’ – that’s the price many seem to accept. You won’t change that.
If you think parking’s dear here, take a trip to Brighton or Oxford.
Is trade really suffering in Guildford?
For the many who seem to be able to afford it, the trend now is to come into Guildford, perhaps visit one or two of the many tea and coffee shops, then perhaps buy a few things or window shop, and then go home and order more on line!
Not so long ago Bernard Parke was calling for a congestion charge for Guildford.
If you don’t want to pay for parking and you live local – why not walk, cycle, use the park and ride, and if you are eligible for a bus pass, make good use of that too.
David Rose is a contributor to The Guildford Dragon NEWS
Jim Allen
July 18, 2015 at 12:18 am
I walk into town for two reasons: one it is too expensive to use the bus, when my anti-government boots (no petrol tax, no MOT, no insurance, no road tax and no parking fees) still work and two, I don’t use the buses because they don’t go where I want to go, like the station and the hardware stores on Ladymead.
Nevertheless if my shopping is too heavy to carry the two plus miles from town I find a no charge location to make my purchase because I object to paying the no change charge for a period longer than I need.
Time to stop fleecing customers in the town centre while out of town car parking in shopping centres is free.
Bernard Parke
July 17, 2015 at 12:27 pm
David makes some very valid points but it seems that I have failed to get the point over that the cost of short term parking is not user friendly and actually extortionate to say the least.
When shopping it is very often not possible to walk or even use a bicycle. So I think that you all will agree that, “On your bike!” is not an option.
Briefly regarding the my suggestion of a congestion charge, this would no doubt be a deterrent to the unwanted through traffic which exacerbates the traffic congestion in the town centre.