It’s one of the infuriating things about paying for parking that you will almost certainly never get full value for what you pay for. There are often two options when it comes to buy a parking ticket: Either you pay too much and leave with hours of value that will never be needed or pay too little and end up leaving with a fine and ticket of a different kind. Some of our county’s councils make millions from parking each year and while that money is put to use for valuable and valid causes – should they not share the love a little? Any ticket you affix to the inside of your windscreen you can be sure that it has the words NON TRANSFERABLE emblazoned on it. But why? If you have paid for a space, for an allotted time, surely that ticket should be allowed to be used to fill that time – whoever owns it? You get a warm feeling by helping someone, even with a small yet thoughtful gesture such as giving them an hour of free parking, why do councils prevent that? Or better still, you need to go to another car park across town or come back at another time, wouldn’t it great if that money you had remaining was transferred? At a time when the high street and town centres need all the help – and all the people – they get, surely every little thing should be done to encourage it? Experts from industry, in surveying, planning, designing and regenerating urban areas have all said that people are the key to the high street of tomorrow. So let’s do everything we can to ensure people are where they need to be. Allowing transferable parking tickets is a small step. But every step forwards is a positive one l Why is parking NONTRANSFERABLE?
In all cases, the surplus is put to use by the council. Some goes into the budget to improve car parks, with the rest going to other defined uses as specified under the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984. Without it, that money would have to come from elsewhere and other budgets could suffer. As with any question of public finance, there is no silver bullet and robbing Peter to pay Paul would leave a hole in pockets elsewhere. However, those arguments have to be and need to be balanced with the knowledge that, for the high street to keep succeeding, people need to get there. Without those people, shops will close. Rents won’t be paid. Rates won’t be collected and the economy as a whole suffers. It’s a difficult balancing act, but one that each councillor and authority must get right if the high street is to remain the focal point l
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December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com | 87
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