Parking rip-offs drive motorists off road
RUNAWAY parking charges are the top bugbear for British drivers.
A survey found a growing number of car owners resent paying out and believe greedy councils target them to raise money through parking fines.
More than half would abandon their cars if public transport was better and cheaper, according to the latest RAC report on motoring.
Nearly one in five of the 1,714 motorists polled puts parking costs in his or her top four concerns, up from one in eight in a 2015 survey.
Worrying
Concern at lack of parking spaces also increased, with one in seven drivers calling it a major concern – a 75 per cent increase from two years ago.
Nearly a quarter of people who leave their cars at home for short journeys and use public transport instead said they did so because of a shortage of affordable parking.
The report found that 84 per cent of motorists think councils use them to raise revenue through parking fines.
David Bizley, the RAC’s chief engineer, said: “Motorists are more concerned about the availability and cost of parking. This is a worrying finding. Struggling to find somewhere to park and then having to pay through the nose could have a very negative effect – both on individuals who rely on their cars in their daily lives and on town centres, whose viability affects the prosperity of our high streets.
“We hope the growing concern about the cost of parking is not symptomatic of a blatant attempt by operators to generate increased profits or by policy makers to force more people out of their cars and on to expensive or inadequate public transport.
“Our research tells us that more than half of drivers would drive less if public transport was better. And 44 per cent of this group would use it more if the fares were not so high.
“The Government has been slow to respond to a discussion paper on tackling unfair parking practices.
“We urge the Government and local authorities to recognise the important role parking fulfils in the health of local high streets, on employment and on communities and to reflect this in parking provision.”