To think parking charges are killing the high street?

[menztoray]

Lots more people are shopping online now including myself. But if you do want to shop in traditional high streets, parking charges are often fairly high. I think this stops people shopping in high streets, especially if they just want to buy a few low value things. I understand that local councils need to make money, but I do think this is contributing to killing the high street.

It’s free to park in my town centre, and frankly it’s still struggling. We have a few independent shops but they are closing at an alarming rate due to business rates and high rents. The whole place is now pretty much coffee shops, charity shops and estate agents. It’s such a shame.

I know online shopping is the main issue. But councils can not do anything about that. So they need to make town centre shopping as easy and attractive as possible. That is not happening.

It’s not just the cost but the payment methods as well. I parked in a famous, tourist town last week and there was no card option, only exact money in coins as no change given. Couldn’t pay over the phone as the option wasn’t working. I put in all the change I could gather and it didn’t even give me an hour.

In a town near us they eradicated pretty much all town centre parking because the congestion and consequent pollution was just getting horrendous, so people now have to use park and rides or walk.

Or buy it from Amazon.

I made 94 orders with Amazon in 2018. A large proportion of them were things I could buy in shops, but aren't willing to pay for the parking or the train (each about three quid) only to find they don't have it in stock anyway.

I wanted a suitcase from Samsonsite. I was in the city for another reason, so I went to John Lewis, Debenhams, Selfridges. None of them appeared to have what I wanted, and the staff were too busy talking amongst themselves to ask if I needed helped (they'll have a lot more time to talk amongst themselves when the shops close). So I ordered it from Samsonite's website, and it was in my office 24 hours later.

I'm sure the councils that rub their hands with glee at being able to charge for parking, congestion zones and the like will be unhappy when the shops are completely dead. But that's not my problem: the councils are killing the shops with charges, and the shops are killing themselves with poor service and poor stock.

The time I tried to use the phone option it did not work either.

Lack of a decent bus service is the problem.

People need to stop being so wedded to their cars it’s terrible for the environment and traffic is obscene.

I know people drone on and on about not going to city centres because parking etc, but I live pretty centrally in a city and traffic is still horrendous. And I’m not talking delivery lorries, or buses, I’m talking cars with one person in them, queueing and queueing and pumping out huge amounts of pollution.

Lack of a decent bus service is the problem.

Our buses stop every 220 yards, so travelling two miles requires 16 stops. Life is too short.

I recommend free parking in town centres and the councils are to make money by putting cameras on box junctions and fining all who ignore them. Loads of revenue to be made.

Parking charges in towns are nothing new though. I remember as a child going to town on a Saturday morning with my DM and paying to park and then watching the clock all the way round to make sure we weren't late back to the car. I don't think it was particularly cheap to park either.

It's the hassle of it too, not the cost. I don't mind paying £1 to park. I do mind having to go to a machine on a cold winter's evening when it might be dark and throwing it down with rain when I only want to buy a couple of things. Sometimes I go into town on my way to somewhere else, so it's easier to take the car.

As I said on the other parking thread, I'd rather pay an extra £20 on council tax pa and have free parking and that's despite living within walking distance.

My parents never used to pay to park. We always used to park somewhere else and walk in. Although those streets are all permit only now.

America seems to get along just fine without high streets. I went to Phoenix, Arizona a few years back and took a bus into what looked like the city centre. A couple of museums, loads of offices and coffee shops, and a university. No shopping to speak of. Everything is in malls and retail parks serviced by bus routes and with square kilometers of parking.

Honestly think the death of the high street might be a good thing re. Congestion, air pollution and the housing crisis. Redevelop all the old shops into flats and offsite all the shopping to a handful of retail parks outside the city centre.

Parking charges in towns are nothing new though.

But Amazon/online is. The choice then was "pay, find another way to go, or do without". The choice now is "pay, find another way to go, or get it delivered free".

I don't particularly care if people are happy to vote to extinguish the high street by electing councils which conspire to drive shops out of business. But it seems to be a policy that might benefit from a bit of scrutiny.

Ours is really, really cheap. Two huge car parks that are free but require a disk (available free in the shops) and you get two hours (although only the disk is enforced, not the times. People park there all day long, especially workers), one multi story that's £1 for the first hour going up to a max of £5 for the day and another one that is 80p for 2 hours, £1.10 for 3 and a max of £3.50 for all day. There is also loads of parking for free if you're willing to walk for 5 minutes extra.

And yet the town is dead. Charity shops, bookies, cash converters and boarded up stores. It is was a lovely place but it only attracts scroungers and junkies these days. It's really sad but that's the council for you. Zero investment in the last 10 years (despite it previously always being a very popular, thriving historic tourist town) and extortionate rents. No one can afford to set up shop and stay, particularly small businesses like grocers, Tearoom's or souvenir shops. Biggies like Paddy Power and Ladbrokes can negotiate better rates.

Also, the "community council" went to war with one very popular restaurant for painting the outside in non reg colours (but very tastefully and attractive, making the place look 100% better). They were really petty about it, even being unprofessional and bitchy online in social media. It was pathetic to witness. The restaurant eventually gave up the fight, repainted it plain white, relocated to another town and left the building to rot like the rest around it. It was one of the last few reasons to go into that town. So now they have another building where they can be proud to say that the flaking off, crumbling paint on the deserted building is at least, regulation colours
Such a shame. Online shopping it is for me.

In some London boroughs, there is free parking on high streets for 20 or 30 mins. I’d love to know how much this has helped keep high streets thrive.

We very rarely pay for parking, tend to walk to home town centre (only live about 1.5 miles away so easily doable, realise not everyone will be as close) or park in 1hr free parking bays or Supermarket car park and walk in (always buying something from the supermarket too).

Another town I regularly drive to I park in a 1hr free parking bay or a little further out for a 2hr bay if we need longer. There always seem to be free spaces available there at the same time as big queues for the paid car parks!

If we want to go into London, we'll try and plan to go on a Sunday for free roadside parking.

It is only when going to an unfamiliar town or larger shopping centre that we find we need to pay.

So now they have another building where they can be proud to say that the flaking off, crumbling paint on the deserted building is at least, regulation colours

Quite. As someone says unthread, if we're going to convert city centre shopping spaces into housing, let's do it as a deliberate policy now, rather than letting shops die on their arses with confused, chaotic policies from councils. Just kill them now as an act of kindness, and accept that retail is going to be all in large parks and online.

Alternatively, if that is not the policy, then we need to look at how to make retail attractive to 35 year olds with money in their pocket, rather than the current policy of assuming little old ladies with bus passes and tartan pushalong shopping trolleys constitute a long-term business plan.

Lack of a decent bus service is the problem.

I live in between two bus routes in the city centre, both with a bus around every 5 minutes. The bus service is good, and the frequency and it only takes about 10 minutes. But the price of the bus fare is unbelievable! If I want to go to town with my 2 kids and DH at the weekend it'll cost almost £20 in bus fares for all 4 of us (there and back)! It's actually cheaper to get a taxi to and from the city centre (would be around £10 round trip in private hire).

If we do go we park, as it's only £4.50 all day in the council car park. Takes an extra 5 minutes to walk in but a lot cheaper than the £15 you pay in the main private car parks (which is still cheaper than the bloody bus fare)!

I rarely go into town now and prefer our local retail park. Parking charges are part of the problem. The other main issue I think is that people no longer want to, or have the time to spare, to spend half a day shopping. I often pop to the shops whilst the kids are at their clubs. I can't do that by using the park and ride and going to town it would take too long. These days it all about multi tasking, popping to the shops for an hour.

Parking in my town centre is cheap and plentiful.

What has killed the high street is utterly extortionate business rates. There is empty shop after empty shop.

It’s absolute madness. Why they don’t lower the rates and get something rather than nothing for the units is beyond me.

*Parking in my town centre is cheap and plentiful.

What has killed the high street is utterly extortionate business rates. There is empty shop after empty shop*

Same here. I would add in apathy of shop owners too.

What puts me off going to my local high street is the parking charges.
My local town car parks only take cash (not even notes,coins only) which is a pain when society is moving cashless.
I get paid directly into my bank , the bills are paid by direct debit and my purchases in shops are made by debit card. To park in town, I have to go somewhere with a cash machine to withdraw cash. Then , I have to buy something somewhere to break into the note to get change for parking. Which then takes most of the change. So it wouldn't be unreasonable to say it costs me £10 just to get into town .

Shops themselves also have to take their share of the blame.

Go into Clarks and they never have the sizes/styles I ask for - always the same answer - go home and order online for in-store collection. Same with M&S etc. If anything, if they really want their shops to survive they should have a lot more stock in store (like they always used to) and even better, how about they do some "store only" stock lines to drive people back to their shops?

Last week, I wanted to buy a computer game for my son. Game had none in stock in any local stores, nor did Sainsbury, Argos, Asda, Morrisons nor Tescos. Even online, those stores didn't have any availability for online purchase. So, went onto Amazon - needless to say, they had them in stock, cheaper too, and it arrived next day.

So, come on shops - start stocking what people want if you want to survive.

What has killed the high street is utterly extortionate business rates.

For bigger shops and chain stores, yes. But most small independents would be exempt from business rates due to the small business rate relief, so you can't blame rates for the absence of the smallest shops.

There always seem to be free spaces available there at the same time as big queues for the paid car parks!

Surprisingly (!), that's probably because the councils put signage up for their paid-for car parks, but don't publicise the free ones or free on street parking. It's fine if you know the town, but for outsiders, they'll just go where the signs direct them.