Parking charges cut to encourage out of city centre parking to improve air quality
New parking charges in Winchester will come into effect from Monday 31 October 2022 with the aim of improving air quality in the city centre.
A free one hour no charge period in park and walk car parks is being introduced so people who need to come into the city for a short time can do so, and additionally, further incentives for commuters who work in the city will be made available at Park & Ride sites – encouraging parking outside of the city centre.
A summary of some of the changes can be found below:
- A new FREE ‘one hour, no charge’ period at Park and Walk car parks - Chesil Street, Cattle Market, Coach Park, Worthy Lane and River Park Leisure Centre
- A price freeze for two hour or longer parking at Chesil Street, Cattle Market, Coach Park or Worthy Lane Park and Walk sites
- A new quarterly season ticket charge will be introduced – improving the value of Winchester Park & Ride sites for commuters – saving around 24% for people who use Park & Ride 5 days a week. There will be no increase in daily charges at Park & Ride sites making these car parks the most cost-effective place to park when parking for longer periods of time.
- The cost of parking in the city centre car parks will increase by less than inflation at up to 10p per hour. Parking meters will be brought in line with the car parks with the free half an hour free on-street parking discontinued.
- Blue Badge parking in Pay & Display car parking will continue to be free .
Cllr Kelsie Learney, Cabinet Member for the Climate Emergency says:
“We take the issue of poor air quality extremely seriously and want to encourage people to keep visiting our city, but park outside the city centre. We’re introducing a free one hour parking option in our Park and Walk car parks and more attractive options for commuters at our Park & Ride sites. We are committed to keeping our high street healthy, so the rise in charges is below inflation and only in the central area, Parking outside the city centre will not only improve air quality, it saves commuters, shoppers and visitors money, reduces congestion and helps towards our climate change targets.”
Information on charges can be seen on signs at the car parks, and also on the parking pages of the city council website: Parking and Car Parks - Winchester City Council