Car parking strategy

The Business Improvement District (BID) consulted local businesses on their views for the future of the BID. As part of this, businesses gave some views on car parking in the town centre. Within the top 5 issues that businesses want to see addressed are:

• car parking initiatives for customers

• an improved parking experience

• parking initiatives for staff

Comments received from businesses included:

• free parking

• cheaper parking

• discounted parking

• parking for staff as recruitment difficulties

• more short stay parking

• more residential parking

• discounted for business workers

• all car parks to be pay on exit

• abuse of disabled parking

• empty parking spaces

Data from PFBBUK.

Survey results

A separate short survey was also undertaken directly with local businesses in Newcastle town centre. 23 businesses completed the survey highlighting that:

• 57% of businesses were parking all day

• the two most important features for parking were location/convenience and car park security. Value for money was ranked fifth from 8 issues

• the highest levels of satisfaction are in ease of accessibility (82%) and location/convenience (72%), with the lowest levels for value for money (17%) and car park security (29%)

• the key areas for improvement are wider bays (11%), more cashless options/locations (9%) and more parent and child bays (9%)

• 48% preferred contactless compared to 9% card chip and pin

• 35% were aware we do permits

• 13% thought that the £1 after 3:00 p.m. charge had increased their business trade

• 35% thought that the event parking had increased their trade

We commissioned an independent survey of town centre users to ask their view on the car parks:

• 415 completed surveys from ten car parks

• just over half of respondents had come for shopping/retail (52%)

• 59% of customers parked for under 2 hours

• location/convenience (36%) was the most important car park feature:
   
  • second most important was value for money (25%)
     
  • only 22% of customers were unhappy with charges
     
• very high satisfaction rates for:
   
  • location/convenience (93%)
     
  • ease of accessibility (71%)
     
• highest rates of dissatisfaction for:
   
  • parent parking (45%)
     
  • disabled parking (28%)
     
• wider bays and more disabled bays the most popular potential improvements

• cash still seen as the favourite method of payment by a significant amount (67%)

• 26% were aware of the £1 after 3pm scheme
   
  • fewer than half of those who were aware visited more often as a result (18%)
     
• fewer than half were aware of the free parking for events (58%)
   
  • fewer than half of those who were aware visited more often as a result (19%)