Proposed shake-up of parking in Liverpool city centre, including ending free parking after 6pm, to be debated by councillors this week. Tony McDonough reports
Changes to the way drivers will be allowed to park in Liverpool city centre will be debated this week.
On Friday, March 24, the city council’s cabinet will discuss proposed changes to the city centre’s Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ). The CPZ is a regulated area where on-street parking is restricted by law between the hours of 8am to 6pm.
Under the new proposals, the operational hours would be extended from 7am to 11pm. The report recommends the time extension should form part of a statutory consultation in mid-April, along with a proposed increase in parking charges of 10p per half hour.
This new charge – which is still lower than other major UK cities – would help to generate an additional £1.6m a year. The council intends to reinvest this money into city centre operations.
However, following feedback from the non-statutory consultation, which received almost 1,500 responses, the council will no longer be looking at harmonising the entire CPZ to a two-hour maximum stay, with no return within one hour.
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Instead, four hour stays will be introduced at a number of pay and display bays, with the aim of supporting businesses in the city centre’s night time economy. A proposal to create sub-zones within the CPZ also will not be taken forward.
There will be a number of benefits to the proposed changes, the council says. These include:
- The proposed extension to 7am-11pm aims to create more spaces for resident and business permit holders.
- Footway parking enforcement is possible where yellow lines are in force, which would extend into the evening.
- Kerb space will be made available to load/unload and allow passengers to board/alight.
- Blue Badge users will be able to park for up to three hours on yellow lines, in line with an 11pm extension.
- New parking opportunities in bays that are loading bays in the day and could be repurposed after 6pm.
- Greater availability of spaces will improve traffic flow and reduce congestion.
Depending on Cabinet approval, the council will then seek to advertise a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) consultation giving everyone another opportunity to support or object to the proposals before any changes are implemented.
Current on-street parking charges in the CPZ:
- Up to 30 minutes – £1.20
- Up to 1 hour – £2.40
- Up to 1 hour 30 minutes – £3.60
- Up to 2 hours – £4.80
- Up to 4 hours (max stay) – £6
Mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson said: “Liverpool city centre has gone through an amazing transformation since the introduction of the existing Controlled Parking Zone in 1995.
“Our night time economy has boomed, but the population has also grown massively with more than 35,000 residents now living in the centre. To not address the car parking challenges these factors present would be foolhardy.
“The proposals that have been put forward are aimed at creating a better balance between the environmental and economic impact of on-street parking, which after 6pm creates real tension and frustration in the city centre for residents and businesses.”