Drivers will soon have to pay more to park their cars at three huge parks in Bristol under new proposals. Fees are expected to increase at Oldbury Court, Blaise Estate and Ashton Court, prompting concerns about drivers choosing to park on nearby residential streets.
Parking fees were only introduced at these car parks recently, and Bristol City Council bosses say fewer drivers have been using them since. The extra cash raised from charging drivers more will be invested back into maintaining Bristol’s parks.
Fees were introduced at Oldbury Court and Blaise Estate in March last year. The increase in fees at these two parks is expected to be approved by the cabinet on Tuesday, April 4. Ashton Court is run by North Somerset Council, but a fee hike is expected there soon too.
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To park up to an hour currently costs £1, but this would increase to £1.50. Up to two hours costs £2, and this would increase to £2.60 at Ashton Court and Blaise and £2.50 at Oldbury.
Parking up to five hours currently costs £3, but under the proposed changes it would cost £3.50 to park up to three hours at Ashton Court and Blaise and four hours at Oldbury. It would then also cost £4.50 to park up to five hours at Ashton Court and Blaise.
Councillor Mark Weston, representing Henbury and Brenty and leader of the Conservative group, opposed the recent introduction of parking charges at the Blaise Estate and Oldbury Court. He said this pushed drivers to park on nearby residential streets instead.
In a written statement to the cabinet, he said: “This move has created huge problems in nearby residential streets, as many park users seek to avoid having to make these payments. The planned above-inflation increases — an incredible 50% hike in the case of up to one-hour stops — can only make a bad situation worse.”
According to City Hall chiefs, fewer drivers have been parking at the car parks since fees were brought in. But a similar number of people are still visiting cafes, suggesting that more people now walk or cycle to the parks instead of driving.
A cabinet report said: “The decline in car park usage following the implementation of the Traffic Regulation Orders suggests that the introduction of parking charges has positively influenced active travel, one of the intended outcomes of the orders. Despite this decrease, activity at catering outlets at Blaise and Oldbury has remained stable, indicating that the changes have not had a significant impact on overall park use and enjoyment.
“Visitor numbers at Blaise Cafe and Oldbury Kiosk show no significant impact from the introduction of parking fees. However, the usage of the car park has decreased, likely due to increased use of more sustainable, alternative travel methods — which aligns with the council’s climate policies.”
The council is trying to encourage drivers to get out of their cars and walk, cycle or get the bus instead, to cut carbon emissions and tackle climate change. But success with this was disputed by Cllr Weston, who said drivers were just parking elsewhere to avoid the fees, adding to parking pressure for local residents. He added that many vulnerable people rely on driving cars to get about.
Cllr Weston said: “The report suggests that there has been a decrease in car usage, which more closely aligns with the council’s aims of encouraging more sustainable transport alternatives and promoting our climate change policies. I beg to differ on such overly optimistic conclusions, based upon the regular complaints I receive from those whose lives are impacted by visitor parking.
“I fear that the anti-car stance adopted by successive administrations in our city has morphed from pursuit of a sacred cow environmental policy, to one of simply treating the motorist as an easy target for revenue raising or a captive cash cow. Some of our most vulnerable members of society absolutely depend upon private vehicles for their transport.”
