Decision Maker: Transport & Connectivity Policy Committee

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: Yes

Date of Decision: September 12, 2024

Purpose: To review a range of parking policies and charges in and beyond the Residents’ Parking Scheme areas to improve turnover of spaces and encourage modal shift to alternate, more sustainable, modes of transport. To use pricing mechanisms to reflect the value of, and competing demands for, kerb space and where possible use charges to drive behaviour change.

Content: The Policy Committee: 1.         Initiated a Task and Finish Group, to be chaired by Cllr Rob Bryher, to make recommendations to the committee for a modern and holistic Parking and Kerbside Strategy.   2.         Residents Parking a. Approve and implement increase of £56 to £124 for first vehicle permit tariffs. b. Approved all RPS permit types going forward are included within the Council’s Fees and Charges so that an inflationary increase is made every year (rounded to the nearest whole numbers). c. Approve and implement price alignment for all Easton (ES) RPS permits with the prevailing rates for other RPS over a two year period to remove the pricing anomaly, noting that the budget implications for this increase are negligible.  Subject to further financial and equalities assessment delegated to officers in consultation with the Chair   3.        RPS Business, Customer, Medical & Trader Permits and Visitor Permits a. Approved a rounded 22% inflationary increase to medical, trader, business & customer permits. b. Approved introducing a charge for all Visitor Permits (excluding Essential Visitor Permits for care needs). That charge to be aligned with the prevailing hourly Pay and Display Rate and remove the additional allowance per household.   4.        RPS Pay and Display changes and removal of 30m free parking in the RPS (New Proposals) a. Approved a rounded 22% inflationary increase to RPS Pay and Display rate to £2 per hour. b. Approved the principle of an additional uplift to Pay and Display rates in specified RPS areas to reflect demand and encourage turnover of spaces, and its application in Clifton Village RPS, Kingsdown RPS & Clifton East RPS.   6.         Approved the implementation of competitive early bird charging at Temple Gate and West End MSCPs and monitoring of the impacts.   7.        Implement an inflation-based charge only. Refer consideration of a change to linear charging to the Parking Strategy Task and Finish Group, reporting back to the committee in 2025.  Subject to further financial and equalities assessment delegated to officers in consultation with the Chair.   8.        Delegates authority to the Executive Director, Growth and Regeneration to implement the approved proposals.     * Recommendations 4c and 5 were not approved.