Railway station car park fees proposed to relieve congestion
PARKING charges may be introduced at railway stations across south-east Wales, to help pay for construction of thousands more parking spaces, and to discourage Valleys residents from driving to stations near Cardiff.
A previous proposal to charge for parking at some Valley Lines stations was eventually dropped after concerns that people would stop using the stations or cause problems by parking in streets nearby.
Charges may now receive a less hostile reception, if they are tied to visible improvements in parking provision. Electrification, new rolling stock and faster journeys will strengthen the train’s advantage over driving into Cardiff from 2022.
Separately, a report from the Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA) has proposed controlling car parking to encourage people to use “sustainable transport”.
The new Cardiff Capital Region Transport Authority (CCRTA) can coordinate the transport activities of all 10 member councils, including by setting “charges in public car parks across the region as a policy tool to influence travel choice and use any additional income to fund infrastructure”.
The CCRTA’s outline transport strategy includes upgrading “strategic park and ride” to “improve access to the rail network and shift car users off the most congested highway routes by providing a minimum of 5,000 park and ride spaces”.
This would relieve congestion on key corridors, including the A470, the A4042/A472, the M4/A48 corridor east of Newport and the M4/A48 corridor west of Cardiff. “This programme could be part funded by car park charging.”
Caerphilly council drew up plans in 2010 to charge £1.50 per day at nine of the Valleys station car parks which it owns. Station car parks were costing the council £86,000 per year without generating income for the council.
However, other councils did not propose parking charges, and there were fears that some Caerphilly residents would drive to stations such as Taff’s Well for free parking. Caerphilly dropped its proposals in 2011.
Christian Schmidt, a transport officer at Monmouthshire council, explained that the new proposal was for a co-ordinated parking scheme across the region. Parking would be more expensive nearer to Cardiff than higher up the Valleys, to deter “rail-heading”.
“With the current system, people drive as close as they can to Cardiff instead of using their local station,” he said.
“Wouldn’t it be better if, for example, people use Abercynon station car park more and Radyr less? If you provide free parking, then everyone will probably drive as far as they can.
“If there would be a charging
Possible new station car parks
■ Treherbert, Ynyswen and Treorchy, in the Rhondda Fawr
■ Fernhill, Cynon Valley
■ Pentrebach, near Merthyr Tydfil
■ Nantgarw (new station), south of Pontypridd
■ Llanbradach (station relocated to colliery site) and Energlyn, in the Rhymney Valley
■ Coryton, in north Cardiff
■ Llanwern (new station), east of Newport
■ Newbridge
■ Miskin (new station), west of Cardiff
■ Brackla (new station), near Bridgend – station car park already built
■ Maesteg Ewenny Road, Wildmill and Pyle, near Bridgend
Proposed station car park
regime which effectively reverses the fares costs – the fare to Cardiff is more expensive from Abercynon than Radyr – that would be sensible.
“Furthermore, there is a clear need to expand park and ride provision, and a sensible regional approach to park and ride charging could provide part-funding for a strategic regional park and ride programme.” The outline strategy
extensions
■ Abergavenny and Chepstow (new car parks east of both stations)
■ Pontypool & New Inn (north side of station)
■ Severn Tunnel Junction (south of station)
■ Newport
■ Cardiff Central
■ Rhymney, Pengam, Ystrad Mynach and Caerphilly, in the Rhymney Valley
■ Taff’s Well, north of Cardiff – new car park above future train depot
■ Llwynypia and Porth, in the Rhondda Fawr
■ Pontyclun and Llanharan, west of Cardiff
■ Aberdare, Abercynon, Pontypridd and Trefforest
■ Barry Docks and Cogan
■ Bridgend includes improved active travel routes to stations and new bus-rail interchanges, to encourage some motorists to release parking capacity by switching to walking, cycling or buses.
The IWA recently published a report on how Wales could meet its commitments to decarbonising transport. “Controlling parking offers a powerful means of disincentivising the use of the car,” says the report, written by former Welsh Labour general secretary Chris Roberts. “Parking charges can help to make car travel less attractive than other modes.”
It says that Cardiff council has suggested a workplace parking levy like the one in Nottingham which has raised £44m for development of sustainable transport, including new tram routes and Europe’s biggest fleet of electric buses.
But the report observes that the Welsh Government “continues to promote free parking as a means of regenerating town centres” and says provision of car parking takes up valuable land and involves construction and maintenance costs.
“Rather than reducing the advantage that out-of-town shopping centres have over high streets by lowering town centre parking fees, a more sustainable approach would be to impose a levy on out-of-town parking with the revenue used to fund sustainable transport.
“There is some support for such an approach within local councils but also nervousness about the electoral consequences of any rise in parking charges.”
The report adds: “Welsh Government should undertake a review of parking policies and how they contribute to the development of a sustainable transport system. The review should pay particular attention to the issue of parking in out-oftown retail centres.”