Pilot car parking arrangements in
Cockermouth
Following a meeting with the Cockermouth
Chamber of Trade earlier this week (30 January 2012), Allerdale
Borough Council has announced a pilot ‘free after three’ car
parking scheme in Cockermouth.
Councillor Alan Smith, Leader of Allerdale
Borough Council, said: “We have listened to traders in Cockermouth
and are willing to undertake a three month trial of the scheme on
Wakefield Road car park in Cockermouth. We are working with the
Chamber of Trade to determine a method of monitoring effectiveness
of the scheme which we need to put in place before the trial
begins. We will publicise details of the scheme just as soon as we
have finalised the details and got the infrastructure, such as
signage, in place.”
Councillor Michael Heaslip, Executive member
with responsibility for parking, said: “We also agreed to progress
a number of other car parking initiatives in Cockermouth, including
assisting tourists by publicising the fact that tickets purchased
after 7pm to be valid from 8am the following day. We are also
assessing how the ‘pay by phone’ system has worked in Keswick to
see if it can be introduced into Cockermouth."
Paul Carr, leader of the Chamber of Trade's
infrastructure working group, welcomed the pilot project for
Wakefield Road car park. He said: "The Chamber has been campaigning
long and hard for better car parking arrangements for those
visiting, living and working in the town. We think this
free-after-three scheme is a step in the right direction. It is a
constant concern that shoppers and visitors have to cut short their
trips to the town to run back to their cars before their ticket or
disc parking expires and we hope that many of them will take
advantage of this offer.
"We are also very pleased that tourists
staying overnight will be made more aware that tickets purchased
after 7pm will be valid in the morning. No longer will they need to
get up at dawn to put a new pay-and-display ticket on their cars!
This is something that is so important to Chamber members in the
hospitality trade.
"We are very pleased with these developments,
but the car parking debate will be continuing and there are other
issues which we will continue to discuss with the Council to ensure
we are doing the best for Chamber members and their customers and
clients."