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Bath car park charges hike may follow clean air tariff

BBC An aerial view of The Circle, Georgian housing in BathBBC
Increases in parking and permit charges could follow the introduction of a Clean Air Zone

Drivers may face higher parking charges in Bath to help improve air quality a council report has recommended.

Bath and North East Somerset Council is considering charging for parking on Sundays and pricing residents' permits according to emissions.

If approved by the council's cabinet members for transport, residents and businesses will be consulted on the proposals later this year.

A Clean Air Zone (CAZ) is set to be introduced in the city on 15 March.

The report outlines more than a dozen changes to parking charges across Bath and North East Somerset.

Major overhaul

Changes being considered include:

  • Resident parking permits priced, in bands, according to emissions
  • 10p-per-hour increase in street parking, each year, for three years
  • Parking and permit hours to be extended
  • Ending free parking on Sundays
  • Ongoing increases for residents' parking visitor permits

Joint cabinet members for transport Liberal Democrats Neil Butters and Joanna Wright will consider whether to approve the policies with a decision due to be made on or after 20 February.

Ms Wright said she would consider "the potential impacts on residents, businesses, tourism, air quality, carbon emissions and transport before reaching a final decision".

"We have a duty to secure pedestrian safety and one of the ways we are doing that is to encourage transformational change to transport...to improve air quality by encouraging us all to be less reliant on our cars where we can, and instead to choose to walk, cycle or use public transport," she added.

Bath's Chamber of Commerce has acknowledged the need for air quality improvements.

Executive director, Ian Bell, said: "In an ideal world, better bus, rail and park and ride services should be in place before additional charges are placed on people who need to get into the city centre."

The Conservatives who are the main opposition party at the council have been contacted for comment.

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