Just 40 vehicles use new car park each day – claim
A NEW multi-millionpound car park in Bridgend town centre is under used with an average of 40 cars a day parking there, it has been claimed.
The Change for Bridgend group, an umbrella organisation backing independent candidates in the council elections on Thursday, has made the claim about the Rhiw car park amid an ongoing battle with Bridgend County Borough Council.
But the council has slammed the figure as inaccurate and said use of the Rhiw is rising in line with expectations.
The Change group has called on the authority to release accurate usage figures as it claims it is un- der used and this is negatively affecting footfall in the town centre.
The group claimed that traders had been told in a meeting that only 40 cars a day used the Rhiw Car Park, which reopened in November after its predecessor was demolished.
The car park forms part of a £9m mixed-use development funded by the Welsh Government’s Vibrant and Viable Places scheme, Bridgend council and Coastal Housing.
When it opened the council said it provided the town centre with a modern multi-storey parking facility that fea- tures 242 bays over seven levels.
Bridgend council said Rhiw car park usage was up 23% by March (from when it had opened).
It added there was a 6% drop in January compared to December but they would expect that and by February that had moved to a 1% increase and in March jumped to 23%.
A Change spokesman said percentages were meaningless without actual figures.
He said: “Traders have been asking for weeks how many cars use it.
“Public money has been spent. The public deserve to know how many people are using this car park.”