Published at 11:27, Wednesday, 23 November 2011

Car parking charges in any town or city will usually stir controversy.

Where they’re too high they can drive away visitors and shoppers, bringing negative impact on council revenues, making motorists feel like soft targets for cash.

Too low and they’re a wasted source of vital income with tendency to encourage central congestion.

Getting parking fees right requires finely balanced, joined up thinking with focus on all elements and threads of the specifics of individual localities.

Carlisle’s proposals to shake up and overhaul parking policy in the city appear to make attempts to tailor the council’s plans to the needs of visitors, shoppers, commuters, businesses and its own coffers. But they are by no means simple.

Changes are in response to falling revenues and increased competition from privately-owned car parks.

Thinking is that where car parks are well used, prices charged will reflect popularity. In others, not as well used – and farther away from town – there’ll be a cut.

The new fees are expected to generate £1.248m a year.

In addition there’ll be options to pay remotely by mobile phone and credit card – a system already producing strong feelings in other cities across the country.

How many here will feel comfortable registering card details with a call centre for payment of a couple of pounds remains to be seen.

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk