News release issued Monday, 24 March, 2014
Free Sunday parking could cost us dearly: Bus services and air quality could be at risk
Brighton & Hove Friends of the Earth (BHFOE) is condemning calls by Brighton & Hove Liberal Democrats for free Sunday parking [1] as financially irresponsible and potentially damaging to the city in the long term. The Lib-Dems petition on this is due to be discussed at Brighton & Hove City Council’s Full Council meeting on Thursday.
Local authority budgets are under severe constraint and with bigger cuts coming over the next few years, as indicated in the recent Budget, BHFOE believes that to reduce income which could be used to improve the city’s crumbling infrastructure is foolish. BHFOE also believes that making a substantial amount of parking free on Sunday could cause even more congestion and pollution as cars drive around the city looking for free spaces. The measure would also risk undermining Sunday bus services, which are often less profitable than weekday ones. Loss of these services could see some people become more isolated, while others might feel they need to own a car whereas previously they didn’t. This would then create more congestion and pollution and put more pressure on residents’ parking.
Chris Todd from BHFOE said:
“These proposals from the Liberal Democrats are just plain daft. They are jumping on the free parking bandwagon without thinking through the consequences. Who is going to pay is clear. We all are. Our roads are crumbling and services for the needy and vulnerable are under severe pressure. From the budget last week it’s obvious that things are only going to get tougher for local authorities with even more cuts on the way. So chucking away income from Sunday parking would be financially irresponsible.
“Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker, when he was Transport Minister, probably did more than any minister previously to support the bus industry. Yet here are his colleagues in Brighton & Hove proposing a measure that could lead to a loss in bus services.
“We would urge the City Council to ignore this rash petition. If the Liberal Democrats really care about the city, they should support measures to reduce car use and improve air quality, while making it safer and more pleasant for people of all ages to walk, cycle and use public transport.”
[1] The Liberal Democrats are proposing that parking charges are scrapped for all council run car parks and on-street parking bays on Sundays
Brighton & Hove Friends of the Earth 