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Archives 2007 (Car Park)
Car Park Comment 16
Pay and Display Tickets
27/09/2008
I recently had a Penalty Charge Notice for parking in St George’s Square. I successfully appealed this notice as I had a valid pay and display ticket.
I can only assume that as the pay and display ticket was not sticky that when we left the ticket on the windscreen it was blown off when we shut the car door. I would therefore like to suggest that you change your pay and display tickets to sticky backed ones on the windscreen so as to avoid this problem and the consequent costs involved in issuing Penalty Charge Notices and dealing with appeals.
D Thurgood - Portsmouth
Portsmouth City Council currently uses several different types of tickets due to the different meter types in use. The type of meter you used was a solar powered pay and display meter which can not use sticky back tickets as the meters do not have heaters to keep the tickets dry and the option to add a heater is not available.
As the option to add a heater to this type of pay and display meter is not available the onus is on the customer to ensure that the ticket is secured correctly.
Car Park Comment 15
The Harbour Car Park
23/07/2008
I’m writing to query the justification for overnight car parking in the Harbour Car Park in Havant Street. Up until this week it has been free overnight (7pm to 7am) but now we must pay to use it. Myself like many others commuter over from the Isle of Wight everyday and leave their car in Portsmouth due to the high charges for using the Car Ferry (£60 per day) hence we have always used the Harbour Car Park as the majority of users arrive after 7pm and leave before 7am.
This car park is always very quiet overnight and it means we do not have to take up vaulable residents parking elsewhere but now that charges are being applied overnight (£8 per night) it has forced us to start using free residents car parking spaces elsewhere.
I could understand the charges if the car park was constantly full but on examination again this morning at 6am it was practically empty so therefore could this decision be reviewed and free overnight parking reinstated. I know we can now park on the road overnight for free on certain roads around this car park but cars are constantly being broken into here due to their isolation and poor street lighting.
CG - Portsmouth
The charges that have now increased to 24-hour charging was a decision taken by the Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation. Income from City Council owned car parks is an important revenue stream for the city Council that goes to reliving in some way the burden on the taxpayer. It is felt that the provision of parking should be paid for by those that use it, rather than the burden on council tax.
To enable a change in City Council charges you will need to contact a ward councillor who if they agree with you may then suggest such a change to the Cabinet Member. It is a decision taken by elected members and not officers of the City Council. You can contact elected members by using the link below: -
http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/yourcouncil/1121.html
Car Park Comment 14
Car Park Tariffs
04/04/2008
How do you work out your rates you charge for car parks charges. And is it in line with the rate of inflation. As I find them to be over priced in certain areas, and also it is one way to put off shoppers spending there money.
Unknown - Portsmouth
Car park tariffs in Portsmouth are set by the elected members of the City Council. The tariffs set are competitive in comparison to other major tourist resorts along the south coast.
The Executive Member for Traffic and Transportation has promised not to increase charges until at least April 2009. The charges can change due to us needing to set charges at appropriate levels for the local area. This is to balance parking supply and demand, taking account of transport strategies and the economic viability of commercial centres. Other than that our charges do rise in line with inflation.
Car Park Comment 13
City Car Parks and Evening Parking
25/11/2007
I am complaining regarding the rip off parking charges at city car parks during the evenings. Whilst visiting the New Theatre Royal (a council financed premises so I am told) to attend a concert I and many others were astounded at the car parking charges in Isambard Brunel Car Park along with the Greetham Street Car Park.
Whilst I can understand the need to discourage long term parking during the day I cannot understand the need to charge four pounds eighty pence for four hours on a Saturday evening or in fact eight pounds over four hours. I did intend to make a full evening supporting the local economy by having a meal before the concert start at 7pm but this would have taken me over the four hours limit and the four pounds eighty I felt bitterly hard pressed to pay. I ended up sitting in the car until 7 and then going to the machine, as did a lot of others. Joined up thinking should be carried out by the council and if your parking policy wasn't such a rip off I and many others would have spent more time and money supporting the food and drink establishments - remember them? Which could do with the extra trade. To add to this debacle upon enquiring with the staff at the Theatre Royal I was told that I should have been offered a car parking token at the time of booking the ticket thus reducing the charge to two pounds. It was apparent that very few people were told about this and as there was a concert at the (council run) Guildhall I made enquiries at the end of that concert as to whether people were aware of this discount or were told at the time of booking. The answer was a big fat no. You may like to consider retraining your box office staff so that everybody who books at both venues are made aware of this.
I await your answer with interest.
DP - Portsmouth
We are sorry that you felt ripped off by our charges. We would like to assure you that car park charges at Portsmouth City Council car parks are competitive with the private sector car parks within Portsmouth, and with other major tourist towns and cities along the south coast. The charging rate is set by elected members and is we are pleased to say now frozen until at least April 2009.
The Guildhall and Theatre are fully aware of the discounted parking tickets we make available to them. I have passed your comments on to them so they may answer your questions about the box office service you received. Neither the Guildhall or the Theatre Royal are run or operated by Portsmouth City Council for event management, for that reason we have no jurisdiction over their box office. Unfortunately we are unable to publish their response on this website.
Car Park Comment 12
Great South Run - Parking Charges
26/10/2007
I would like you to confirm that all the monies collected from parking and park and ride schemes in Portsmouth on Sunday 28th October 2007, the day of the Great South Race, will be donated to charity and no Portsmouth Council is not a charity, yes I know you need money to get the Spinnaker things outside lift working and pay for all those unwanted traffic lights but that is no excuse for seemingly cashing in on what is really a charity fund raising event.
This question is not meant to be flippant, I was pressed to do this upon learning the charges for parking on the common and for the park and ride.
MC - Portsmouth
The Parking Service did not operate the parking on the common or the park and ride, they were operated by specialist event companies for the Great South Run. The monies collected for parking for the Great South Run will be used for payment to the operating company, any profit after this payment will go towards the costs of the event infrastructure provide by Portsmouth City Council to enable this event to take place in Portsmouth. IT is not and has never been the intention of Portsmouth City Council to profit from this great sporting occasion but to wholeheartedly support it in any way we can.
The funding of the Spinnaker Tower is entirely separate from any traffic and parking related funding. The funding of traffic lights may partially come from general parking surplus, but not from any surplus from the Great South Run initiated parking schemes. The Parking Service did however put a lot of time and effort in to ensuring proper road closures and parking suspensions were in place for the event to ensure a great day for the runners and spectators. This was done from our existing resources and was not additionally funded. I hope that you agree that our and others efforts were well worthwhile.
Car Park Comment 11
Southsea Seafront Car Parks
20/09/2007
As someone who lives near the seafront I am glad to be able to walk there.
However, many choose to come by car and the car park opposite the Hovercraft Terminal quickly fills up on warm sunny days. Late comers park their cars on the odd bit of grass in the car park whish is a boon to the Parking Attendants who quickly slap parking fines on them. This must really bring misery to folk who have enjoyed a great day at the seafront to come back to what they thought was a safely parked car and find a parking fine. I know cars should be parked in the marked spaces but this does seem a tad unfair.
Having walked from Clarence Pier to the West Battery I have noticed that the car park behind the D-Day museum is almost empty and wonder why there isn't a large electronic notice at the Hovercraft Terminal car park advising where the next car park is and how many spaces are available.
Love our seafront - hate seeing the common used as a car park.
VM - Southsea, Portsmouth
Portsmouth City Council has very clear signage in all our car parks notifying motorists that parking outside a marked bay could lead to a Penalty Charge Notice being issued. It is not the intention of the Parking Service to 'catch people out' but to ensure our facilities are tidy, as attractive as a car park can be and most of all safe for all to use.
We tend to agree with your point about signage, however this has been tempered with the thoughts of a lot of people that we already have too many signs for traffic which we also have sympathy with. Our Technical Manager will consider your proposals as and when current signage is replaced. Purely from a budgetary point of view it could not be done in isolation. We will also talk to Hovertravel in relation to your suggestion.
Parking on the seafront would ideally not be necessary, but if Portsmouth is to remain a viable tourist centre we must have adequate amounts of parking spaces for special events and busy weekends.
Car Park Comment 10
Southsea Common Overflow Parking
05/09/2007
Your response to 'Paul, Southsea' in the parking forum on your website, deserves further comment.
You say that 'no additional income is anticipated from using meters instead of people. Although it is a more cost effective method'.
1. There should be no income element at all. The availability of overflow parking should be such that it provides the means by which visitors are able to patronise an event on the common (or on Castle Field or along the seafront for that matter) and spend their money at the event and in the surrounding area. The imposition of a parking charge deters visitors. When will you realise this? It isn't rocket science! I witnessed numerous people having difficulty finding anywhere to park on that first Saturday before the meters appeared on the common (for some bizarre reason overflow was not 'available' that day). Some of them felt that their only option was to park out of bay in D-Day Car Park but they did pay. And were ticketed by your wardens. I doubt they will be back to sunny southsea for quite some time and I don't blame them.
2. Your second sentence is rather at odds with the first. If it is a more cost effective method, then by definition your costs are less and the income more hence your profit element has increased. And especially so, since you did not opt to use the marked charges for Clarence Parade i.e. £1.80 for 4 hours but imposed a charge of £4.80 for the same period on the common.
Surprise me. Add this (unedited please) contribution to the forum.
GW - Southsea, Portsmouth
Portsmouth City Council stands by the statement in relation to the overflow parking on the common, it is not additional income, perhaps better spent income in that instead of paying people to collect it a machine does it. This makes things safer for our staff and more efficient.
The issue of paying for parking and how much, has been debated many times by elected members, and it is not for officers of the City Council to comment on elected members decisions other than to implement them. Parts of the common have been used for overflow parking for the best part of 35 years with charges generally in line with the seafront parking. Any surplus from parking is used to fund traffic and/or parking related schemes or to alleviate the burden on the Portsmouth taxpayer.
As such, the only people making a profit are Portsmouth taxpayers. Over flow parking is now paid for at the same rate as general seafront parking, we think that this is fair. The Parking Service opens the overflow parking when it is felt visitor numbers will warrant it. We are commited to only using the common for parking for a maximum of 25 days per year, so we cannot always open it even when there may be demand. We accept at times we will and do get it wrong, but we do try to get it right relying on weather forecasts and known events.
Car Park Comment 9
Southsea Common Overflow Parking
23/08/2007
What sort of miserable money grabbing short sighted emotionally stunted sort of person would turn the best tourist attraction in Southsea which thousands of people enjoy every weekend into a car park?
You people never cease to amaze me. A car park how could you?
Paul - Portsmouth
The common has for some 30 years been used for overflow parking for special events and particularly busy weekends. This previously has been done by members of staff taking cash as vehicles entered the car parking area on the common. We took the decision to install meters as it was felt more secure and accountable, important considerations with public money. The meters are only put up when needed and are removed at other times. No additional income is anticipated from using meters instead of people. Although it is a more cost effective method.
In the long term we are exploring ways to increase the parking provision on the seafront; hopefully this will mean parts of the common will not then be needed for overflow parking. I am sure you would agree that we have a duty to try and accommodate everybody that wants to visit the seafront but the lack of parking spaces does present problems with that.
Car Park Comment 8
Tariff Increases
21/08/2007
Can you tell me why the charge for over 8 hours has gone up from £8 to £10 with no publicity. In fact, the Portsmouth City Council webpage still shows £8 for anything over 4 hours? Further, it would be interesting to know why this increase wasn't shown in the council's budget proposals at the beginning of this year?
EW - Portsmouth
All changes to tariffs are publicised for the benefit of residents and visitors. The change you refer to was advertised in 'The News' on the 21st July 2007. From this date, notices were displayed on street furniture within the affected area and are still in situ. We are in the process of updating our website.
The increases were accepted as part of the budgets in February of this year. I would draw your attention to the MIS item 2, which went out at the beginning of July 2007, to which we received no objections. The members therefore approved the changes.
Car Park Comment 7
Isambard Brunel MSCP
14/08/2007
I see the all day charge (8 hours to 24 hours) has gone up another £2 to £10.
Is this increase purely to stop full time council staff from using their car and to find other means of travelling to work?
MA - Portsmouth
The tariff increase in Isambard Brunel Multi Storey Car Park is not specifically aimed at Portsmouth City Council staff but is a result of increasing costs and the need for the City to generate more income towards its budget deficit.
The current tariff is competitive with other city centre car parks in this city and other city centre locations throughout the country. The increase in prices will last for the next two years.
Car Park Comment 6
Multi-Storey Car Park Charges
13/07/2007
Can you tell me why the multi-storey car park is only £3 per day at the weekends and an extortionate £8 per day during the week? Is it because those employees that have to pay the full amount are subsidising those with permits?
CS - Portsmouth
The Parking Service needs to balance what we do with what's available in the City. The current £8 per day charge is competitive with other car parks in this city and other city centre locations throughout the country. The £3 per day charge at weekends was introduced as a result of the Isambard Brunel Multi-Storey car park being underused at the weekends.
Like any other business the Parking Service has to market in a way that attracts people to the service offered. An empty car park at £8 per day does nothing for the tax payer of Portsmouth other than it being an expensive burden. At £3 per day more people are attracted to use the facility and some income is maintained and therefore does not need to be subsidised by weekday parking charges.
Car Park Comment 5
Seafront - Coach Parking
11/06/2007
Firstly I would like to say thanks for a fantastic programme of events this year. As a regular visitor to the bandstand on Sundays I really appreciate the variety of music set against a very special venue - the atmosphere and live music are excellent!
The only thing which spoils the day is the lack of parking facilities, as it's a bit of a battle trying to get anywhere near the bandstand on a Sunday.
I would suggest that the vacant coach spaces behind the D-Day Museum are relocated for extra car parking. It would surely be more beneficial for the council to make money from the £1 an hour parking charges instead of leaving empty coach spaces.
We are delighted that you had such a marvellous time in Southsea and enjoyed the events that our colleagues in the Leisure department arranged. We are aware that the parking provision along Southsea seafront is not adequate when there is high demand. We are actively looking at ways to increase the provision and are discussing with the elected members of the council how this can be achieved.
Coaches are absolutely vital to the economy of Portsmouth and reducing these would have a direct impact on the number of visitors. We must do all we can to not only persuade people to use public transport where possible, but also to make sure that when groups are thinking where to go, we come out as the number one choice. This decision would be under threat if we deterred coaches from coming into the City by making it more difficult or even impossible for them to find proper parking facilities.
This will however be looked at again to ensure that we are not over providing.
Car Park Comment 4
Parking Meters - Notes
07/06/2007
In reference to the comment on the parking forum about Portsmouth pay and display meters not accepting notes and the security risks involved I find to be a spurious answer. There is not more of a security risk in having £100 in notes in a meter or £100 in coins in a meter. I recently visited Portsmouth and was expected to insert £16 in coins into a pay and display machine to cover my stay. Who carries £16 in change? The Ringo system mentioned is not much better as not all members of the public have a mobile phone. I want to be able to pay for my parking in cash and should be able to! Considering the high parking fees you charge, you could at least make it convenient for people to pay by a means of their choice.
Thank you for your comment in relation to our parking charges and payment options available,
I fully accept that it is unreasonable for us to expect members of the public to have £16 in coins which is why we are introducing two alternatives this year. The RINGO system has been introduced in many cars parks across the country and the feedback received by other local authorities has been very positive.
I would like to assure you that the Chip and Pin option is totally secure with the information from credit/debit cards encrypted before being transmitted to banks for verification. We only intend to introduce chip and pin where we believe that the lighting and surroundings would allow members of the public to feel safe in using them. This payment option will allow members of the public with little or no English money to pay for their parking quickly and easily and that it is a major benefit as a tourist City.
There are a number of difficulties that arise with parking machines accepting notes. We have looked into this and can find no note acceptor manufacturer that will give any guarantee on their reliability in an exposed seafront environment. The machines along the seafront have to be robust and salt and the intricacies of note accepting technology do not mix well. We also believe that there are security risks involved with machines that accept notes. Thieves in general do not steal large amounts of coins; it is not only difficult to carry but brings attention when trying to change for notes. When machines are broken into a lot of damage is caused and the costs involved in repairing and replacing the machine would rocket if note acceptors had to be changed after every machine break in. The few note acceptors we have in place within our Multi-Storey car park are covered by dedicated CCTV to deter theft, along the seafront that would be impractical.
The tariffs charged by Portsmouth City Council are very competitive with other seafront locations on the south coast and in most cases are cheaper than car parks in the private sector. Any surplus received from parking charges in Portsmouth goes towards maintaining and improving the parking provision and also to finance traffic and transport related projects.
Car Park Comment 3
Beach Hut Permits
05/06/2007
I have a beach hut along the seafront and wondered why I cannot park free anymore, when we used to be able to?
This concession was phased out as it was felt unfair on other visitors to the seafront who may have been regular but still had to pay the full price. Season tickets are available for all our car parks so please do contact us at parking@portsmouthcc.gov.uk to see if we have one to suit your needs.
Car Park Comment 2
Car Park Charges
31/05/2007
Why do Portsmouth City Council have different car parks with different charges?
All car park charges are set dependant on the amount of use each car park receives. For instance in some area's we may want to encourage short term parking but also discourage long term parking at the same time. An example of this would be the Fratton Road shopping area. The parking provision in this location is for those visiting the shops and promoting the area as a vibrant commercial centre.
If we had a similar charging system as that along the seafront it would encourage people to park there and commute from Fratton train station and thus would have a damaging effect on the businesses in that area.
Car Park Comment 1
Parking Meters
31/05/2007
I wanted to park for the day in one of your car parks along the seafront, but as I only had just over £4 in coins I couldn't. Please can you tell me why your parking meters won't take notes like a lot of other parking meters?
I am sorry that you were inconvenienced by this and hope that your visit to the seafront was not hampered by this incident. The option of allowing our pay and display machines to accept notes is one that we have considered. Although we do not feel that the security issues make them worth the risk involved. We will soon have in place an alternative method of payment for all pay and display meters called RINGO. This system will allow visitors to pay easily and quickly using their mobile phone along with their credit/debit card. It is anticipated to have RINGO in place by July 2007.
In addition to RINGO we are confident that later this year a number of our pay and display meters will have the facility to offer debit/credit card readers making it just as easy as RINGO. The Parking Service are committed to making it as easy as possible to pay for everything that we offer but do accept that we are a little behind on it.
