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DANGEROUS and anti social car parking within Liverpool City Centre will be targeted thanks to a new parking regime to be implemented by Liverpool City Council. The changes to the City Centre's Controlled Parking Zone were needed, as Liverpool has undergone substantial growth in recent years, including:- new developments, pedestrianised areas, and an expanding residential population.

The rise of the night time economy has placed significant pressure on parking availability, leading to congestion, illegal parking, and reduced access for residents and businesses.

In recent years, Liverpool parking regulations and practices have faced huge criticism and scrutiny, particularly after a large car park fire, which happened in 2017. The fire, at the Kings Dock Car Park, destroyed over 1,000 vehicles and raised concerns about fire safety and building regulations within Liverpool's City Center car parks. Additionally, there have been issues with pavement parking, along with the changes to free evening parking. It is hoped that these significant changes will address growing parking demands, improve road safety, and enhance air quality within the City Centre Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ), but not put people off going into the City Center.

Recently, Liverpool City Council has also made some very public errors with its parking enforcement effort, the biggest resulting in the suspension of brand new restrictions around Bramley Moore Dock (where Everton's New Football Stadium has been built) following a growing number of complaints.

But, there has also been growing concerns raised by residents about reckless and inconsiderate parking within the City Centre that has to be addressed. This has been further highlighted recently with inconsiderate parking on:- Victoria Street, which has been occurring outside of existing operational hours.

The new proposals, which have just been approved by Liverpool City Council's Highways and Spaces Representation Committee, aim to ensure the CPZ remains fit for purpose in light of the City's evolving residential population and thriving night time economy.

The CPZ changes that will be implemented will new see operational hours extended from:- 8 am to 6 pm, to 7 am to 11 pm, 7 days a week (Monday to Sunday). We are told that the extended hours will come into effect from the beginning of June.

The new CPZ changes will enable the Council to undertake robust enforcement over a longer time period and increase enforcement on:- single yellow lines and parking bays, including:- pay and display and resident bays.

Councillor Dan Barrington, Cabinet Member for Transport and Connectivity, said:- "Liverpool City Council remains committed to ensuring the City Centre is accessible, safe, and environmentally sustainable. We have seen an increasing amount of inconsiderate parking recently, and these changes will allow the Council to deal with offenders and make our publicly shared spaces safer and more inviting for all. Investments in public transport, including:- the reinstatement of night buses and the introduction of a franchising model for buses, will complement these parking changes."

Other significant changes include:-

Increased Maximum Stay in Hope Street Area: Pay and display bays on:- Hope Street, Blackburne Place, Falkner Street, Maryland Street, and Caledonia Street will have their maximum stay increased from:- 2 hours to 4 hours, with no return within 1 hour. This adjustment supports the area’s growing night-time economy and hospitality sector.
Shared Use Parking Bays - Certain loading and limited waiting bays will be converted to:- pay and display, resident, or disabled bays during evening hours.
Revised Parking Tariffs - Parking charges will increase to align with other major UK cities, encouraging sustainable travel and reducing congestion.

Liverpool City Council have said that:- "While some concerns were raised, the Council has adjusted the proposals to address feedback, particularly from local businesses. These include:- increasing the maximum stay in the Hope Street area to 4 hours and introducing shared use bays after 6 pm for:- disabled, resident, pay and display, or single yellow lines, at a number of locations."

These recent increases in parking charges will see Liverpool's fees come into line with other similarly sized cities, and this increase is only the 2nd rise in over a decade. Yet, the plans to charge for on street parking until:- 11 pm were opposed by nearly 90% of the people asked about them by the BBC back in April.

The Council currently generates the lowest net income from parking services amongst the Core Cities, achieving:- £3.839m in 2023/24 compared to a Core City's average of:- £10.603m.

The Council Controls just 28% of parking across the City, and, up till recently, has on average charged 47% less than private sector car parks and other Core Cities for equivalent parking provision.

The proposed changes aim to reduce congestion and improve road safety. They will also enhance air quality and promote sustainable travel, while ensuring better turnover of parking spaces for residents, businesses, and visitors.

So, what are your thoughts about these changes? Please do let us know...