Parking charges at War Memorial Park to be introduced for the first time in JulyParking charges for the War Memorial Park will begin in July, it has been announced.
Charges will be introduced at Leamington Road car park, Coat of Arms Bridge Road and Kenilworth Road and will start on Monday, July 5.
Coventry City Council agreed to introduce charges last December to tackle “misuse” of the car park by those parking to commute or visit the city centre.
Initial proposals were to end all free parking, but a backlash from residents and councillors led the authority to retain free parking for up to three hours.
People using the park and ride at Kenilworth Road will pay £1 alongside the bus fee, and be required to request a discounted ticket on board.
Full charges include:
- Up to 3 hours: Free
- 3 – 4 hours: £3.00
- 4 – 5 hours: £4.00
- Over 5 hours: £5.00
- Weekly Pass: £17.50
- Park & Ride (Kenilworth Road): £1.00
The council has said it expects to recoup £120,000 a year from the new fees, which will go towards implementing the scheme and park improvements.
Evidence for the new parking policy has been criticised by opposition Conservatives however after councillors were told it is based on “anecdotal” evidence from park staff that non-park users were parking in the car parks.
In a meeting in January, councillors were told Leamington Road car park was most affected by non-park users parking to visit the train station or city centre, however then- Earlsdon councillor Allan Andrews criticised why this had led to a “blanket” charge across all three car parks.
Pay machines will be installed in the Kenilworth Road site in the War Memorial Park from next week, which the council said could lead to some ‘minor disruption’.
Work on the Pay-on-Foot barrier system at Kenilworth Road will take around a month to complete.
Pay and Display machines at the smaller car parks at Leamington Road and Coat of Arms Bridge Road will also be installed ready for the July 5 go-live date.
Payment will be cashless to reduce the risk of vandalism and cut operational costs, the council said.