Excessive Car Parking Charges
RAILFUTURE DEVON AND CORNWALL BELIEVES THAT EXCESSIVE ON-STREET CAR PARKING CHARGES AROUND EXETER ST DAVIDS STATION WILL DETER RAIL TRAVEL
1st May 2007
On 1st April Devon County Council increased on-street parking charges at various locations in Exeter by around 10 to 20%. However, the Highways and Traffic Orders Committee, chaired by Liberal Democrat Councillor Sheila Hobden, has imposed even higher percentage increases for rail users of Exeter St. David's station.
In Cowley Bridge Road, the cost of parking for over 4 hours has more than doubled from £1.20 to £2.50. Parking in Bonhay Road has now reached a massive £4.50. The increases were endorsed at a committee meeting on1st February by Labour Councillor Owen and seconded by Labour Councillor Foggin.
The £2.50 charge in Cowley Bridge Road represents a 36% parking surcharge on the £7 day return to Plymouth or Barnstaple and 83% if travelling to Exmouth. In Bonhay Road the parking costs exceed the day return fares to all destinations on the Exmouth and Newton Abbot lines. Railcard holders using Bonhay Road will find that the rail fare to Plymouth or Barnstaple will increase by 96% when parking is included.
Gerard Duddridge, Chairman of Railfuture Devon and Cornwall said,
"Since on-street parking charges were introduced we have seen the Red Cow post office closed, the telephone box removed and the Red Cow Inn closed and demolished. We have been concerned for some time that parking charges have also been deterring people from using the local train services, and we are alarmed by the scale of the April 1st increases. Matters are not helped by First Great Western maintaining high charges in the station car parks. It is like a price-fixing cartel.
Devon County Council report EEC/07/29/HQ says that the price increases are being made to fund policing of resident's parking zones and to tackle highway congestion. Railfuture does not understand how congestion will be reduced if drivers are discouraged from using the trains, and then instead drive 20 or 40 miles to their destination.
The County report also says that parking money is used to subsidise funding for Park and Ride. Drivers park for free on the edge of Exeter and then only have to pay £1.50 return to the city centre. This means that rail users who park and do most of their journey by public transport are being asked to subsidise those drivers who do most of their journey by car to the edge of Exeter. This is not fair on rail users, and it is of course environmentally unfriendly because overall car mileage may actually be increased if rail use is deterred."
Railfuture is now asking Councillor Sheila Hobden, and other members of her committee, to urgently review their decision which penalises rail users. Railfuture would like to see parking concessions for rail users who park in the St Davids station area, so that local rail travel is not discouraged.
In addition, all money raised in the station area should be used to improve the local bus and rail networks, rather than the peripheral Bus Park and Ride sites. Currently the city bus services to St Davids station can be unreliable, with delays of over 30 minutes, and nearby villages such as Brampford Speke still only have one bus per day.
Railfuture would like to hear from rail users who are concerned by the cost of parking at Exeter St. David's station. We would also welcome ideas for improving access to the station for bus users, cyclists and pedestrians. We can be contacted at d&c@railfuture-sw.co.uk.