RESULTS released from Wiltshire County Council’s recent parking review have shown that the reintroduction of one hour’s free parking hugely increased the number of vehicles using the car parks.
The study measured traffic flow through car parks in the review’s 14 selected areas and compared them with the previous year’s. It showed that in the lead-up to 20th October 2014, an average of 766 vehicles used the car park for an hour or less per week – over 300 fewer than 1083 in the same period in 2013.
The above figure illustrates a decline in traffic stopping in the town, and the figures for cars staying for two or three hours was also lower.
However, the second measurement period falls in the run-up to Christmas and at the same time the free parking trial began last year. This period saw a huge increase of over 400 cars per week in 2014 – 1260 were counted against 851 in 2013.
The review shows a 48% increase in cars parking in Westbury during the Christmas shopping period when the first hour was free. Officers conducting the study deemed the rise to be “above that which would ordinarily be seen during a typical Christmas peak shopping period.”
Westbury didn’t fare so well in other aspects of the review, however, and had the lowest response rate of the 12 other towns tested. From a population of [x], just 124 questionnaire responses were returned to Wiltshire Council.
Two council-owned car parks in the town – Warminster Road (Zone B) and Westbury Leigh – were identified for a property asset review, after being considered to be either of non-strategic importance and/or of low viability.
