Letter - Crazy cost of parking in Shrewsbury
Shropshire Council preside over a postcode lottery, regarding parking charges.
In SY11 you pay less, in SY1 you get hammered.
I park on a yellow line as they don’t apply on Sundays. £2 or so per hour to park in the week is crazy and unaffordable.
I object to paying for car parks we have paid for many times over, so I don’t bother going to Shrewsbury.
I shop at Lidl or Tesco where I can park for free, or at the nice shops in Oswestry (much cheaper to park there) and the rest online.
Really sorry, Shrewsbury shopkeepers but it’s the council’s fault for extortionate unaffordable and unjustified pricing and, until they make their rip-off prices cheaper, I’m not coming back.
Ed Austin, by e-mail
Comments for: "Letter - Crazy cost of parking in Shrewsbury"
Steve Merchant
...and now the wardens are out in the evening to really put the boot into the Shrewsbury town centre evening economy...only a bunch of petty minded council bean-counters with free privileged parking could come up with that inanity. I hope the Chamber of Commerce are aware of the damage being done to some of their members
AM
On the rare occasion we go into the town we now use park and ride or if I have a specific reason for being in Shrewsbury I get dropped off and picked up once I've done what I need to do. Therefore avoiding car park charges, but there are so few decent shops now in the town for anyone older than 25 that it's not worth bothering going to look for new clothes in Shrewsbury (unless you have unlimited funds and can afford upmarket prices). So both my partner and I shop on line more and more these days. It's a sad state of affairs Shrewsbury used to have such a good mix of shops but no longer. It's not JUST the car parking charges that are killing off the town it's the poor selection of middle of the range shops.
simon
I agree with the two points of view above, the town is dying and the parking charges are beyond belief, I go to Ludlow now as it is only 30p per hour to park and there are no empty shops in the town, car parking and shopping centers have ruined the town, no identity, nothing to draw you in and yet another supermarket has planning on the outskirts of the town.
Katherine de Gama
You would expect to pay more to park in the centre of a good shopping town than elsewhere. Shrewsbury prices compare well to those in comparable places.
BC
Not sure why people working in town have to pay increasing parking charges when council employees at many offices have free parking. A smaller charge for all would be fairer. Also, do council employees with free parking have to pay tax on this "benefit in kind"?
Hau Xiang
Out of town parking should be taxed at the same rate as in town shops.
Out of town parking is not 'free' is just has a huge tax subsidy.
Robin Hood
Tax subsidy by whom? As far as I am aware, enlightened firms such a Tesco, who value our custom, provide car parks at their own expense so that we can afford to buy their goods. Shrewsbury town centre is on a downward spiral courtesy of Shropshire Council and it's policy of pricing us out of town. Not only do they hit us with ever increasing parking charges but they increase fares on the park and ride and ban concessionary pass holders from using them. Suicidle or what?
SR
I drove into town last week and went to park at the bottom of the cop (opposite the Lion & Pheasent), £3.50 for 2 hrs! I got back in the car & drove straight out. Shrewsbury Council, go and Google 'pricing elasticity', putting prices up doesn't mean more money!
Nigel Guilford
I rarely go into Shrewsbury town centre now. I have lived in Shropshire all my life and have been driving for nearly 32 years. I have found that parking in Shrewsbury is both costly and frustrating. The traffic lights system and one way road system do not help traffic flow and cause delays. I can drive into City Centres such as Chester and park for £3 for the day with many shops to chose from. I do not see why the Council think they have too keep putting parking charges up. My basis of economics is that if you want to sell more you keep the price at a realistic and affordable level. It costs enough for people living in rural areas of shropshire in fuel costs to run a car and not everyone wants to jump onto a bus or use park and ride. Especially if you are carrying shopping. It is more convenient to be able to drive into the central car parks and take the shopping back to the car. I am quite confident that if a maximum charge similar to Chester was introduced then the usage and number of people entering the town centre would increase greatly. The current charges imposed by the Council are crippling both the consumers and the shops within the town. I do not know if any one can see or listen to common sense, but it would not take much to carry out a pilot scheme with reduced parking charges to assess what difference it makes to the number of visitors and general usage of the Town car parks. It would be fantastic if the Council would listen for once to what the people of Shrewsbury and Shropshire have to say and act positivley upon their comments. Lets see what happens in the next 3 - 6 months, hopefully they dont put the charges up again.
sowhat
When will car drivers wake up! answer me this, why should car parking be free/cheap when bus fares are so expensive??
the parking price is the 'going rate' for a town of this size. Some of you who drive elsewhere to shop don't you realise you are spending more doing this!
Wake up and get a grip of yourselves and count your selves lucky you have a car.
I'lltellyousowhat
You've missed the point. The cost of parking is putting people off shopping in Shrewsbury. From your commentsI presume that the cost of buses to Shrewsbury is having a similar effect. This means that businesses are unsustainable and are closing down. The variety and choice of shops in towns like Shrewsbury is therefore decreasing. There is then less reason to go in to the town and the cycle repeats its self. The town centre is on a downward spiral and all we will be left with soon are out of town retail parks and we will be much poorer for it.
BTW, its very hard to drive a car when you're asleep. Not such a difficult thing to do whilst travelling on a bus. Just make sure you don't miss your stop.
Katherine de Gama
That is all the more reason not to drive. I don't.
JOHN
We moved to Minsterley over 4yrs ago, we drove into Shrewsbury once and drove through and out ...... never been in again. We shop on line and have deliveries from Tesco, Asda and Sainsburys, my diy delivered next day by post(Screwfix), My stationary bits and bobs from "Viking", our clothes from on line even from USA at better prices even with postage. Our entertainment is piped down broadband, even our wine is delivered. It seems we are trapped in our home by lack of parking and often stay at home by choice to avoid the traffic chaos and motorway madness. It seems we have fallen into the devious & enticing traps set by the governments secret agenda .... KEEPING THE 'PLEBS' IN THEIR HOUSES AND OFF THE STREETS.