Cash cow? This Bournemouth parking meter made just £6 in three weeks (From Bournemouth Echo)
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Cash cow? This Bournemouth parking meter made just £6 in three weeks
1:00pm Wednesday 27th February 2013 in News By Melanie Vass
Parking meters on Manor Road in Bournemouth
THEY’RE often criticised as being council money-spinners but some Bournemouth parking meters are earning just a few pounds a week.
A printed transaction docket, left in a meter in Manor Road by a traffic warden, showed the meter had made just £6 in the three weeks between January 20 and February 9.
It also revealed that this one meter had collected just £1,504.50 since it was installed along Manor Road in the East Cliff area on June 11, 2009 – the equivalent of just over £8 a week.
Further enquiries to Bournemouth council confirmed that all 18 meters in Manor Road have collected a total of £83,000 since June 2009 – an average of £25 per meter per week.
East Cliff resident David Reed, who found the docket, said: “As far as I am concerned the meter bays are hardly ever used and the road is usually empty of parked cars.
“If the aim of the council is to dissuade motorists from visiting Bournemouth then they are very successful.”
Bournemouth council was unable to provide the Echo with a breakdown of the costs of purchasing, installing and maintaining the meters but said the maintenance costs were “minimal”.
Gary Powell, parking and traffic manager, said: “The parking meters on Manor Road were primarily introduced to encourage people to park more considerately, which benefits both residents and visitors to the area.”
And East Cliff Cllr Michael Filer, who has responsibility for parking, said he was not surprised that some of the meters brought in very little income. “They were put there when we put meters along the clifftop, in response to residents’ requests,” he said.
“The traffic department warned that, if there were no restrictions in Manor Road, people would simply park there instead of paying to park along the cliff.
“The west part of Manor Road is extremely popular, whereas the east part is not. But the meters need to be all the way along because otherwise they would take the revenue away from the clifftop.
“The policy for the town is if it all possible, we want to be sure that no parking charges go up and no meter charges are increased.
“If we are able to achieve that it will be the fourth successive year of no increases.”
Comments(34)
rayc
says...
1:15pm Wed 27 Feb 13
And that's what its all about. Nothing to do with safety or movement of vehicles, just income.
PokesdownMark
says...
1:20pm Wed 27 Feb 13
nermal
says...
1:36pm Wed 27 Feb 13
I can only agree. Haven't been anywhere near Bournemouth in ages and don't intend to either.
cherries010101
says...
1:40pm Wed 27 Feb 13
RooToo42
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1:44pm Wed 27 Feb 13
Why there are no meters on the Boscombe/Southbourne clifftop is a bit of a mystery to me though. ok, restrictions would have to include the many side streets, but resident permits would be provided which would help residents to actually find a parking spot near there homes in the summer.
l'anglais
says...
1:46pm Wed 27 Feb 13
This can be counterbalanced by increasing Council tax by 10%.
Those who drive go to places to spend money and will have more incentive to do so if they didn't have to pay for the right to spend.
muscliffman
says...
1:49pm Wed 27 Feb 13
nermal wrote:Correct. Charging customers to park their own transport when they have other options which avoid this cost is killing our town centres and High Streets. Pedestrianisation is equally damaging.
If the aim of the council is to dissuade motorists from visiting Bournemouth then they are very successful, says the article.
I can only agree. Haven't been anywhere near Bournemouth in ages and don't intend to either.
Do Bournemouth Council get it yet? No of course not!
PokesdownMark
says...
1:58pm Wed 27 Feb 13
RooToo42 wrote:I believe the parking meters in Manor road were put in to discourage workers in the Lansdowne area from avoiding the council car parks. Before the meters the roads were well used for parking. No such situation exists in Southbourne because there are no workplaces nearby to the same extent.
Manor Road is rarely used for parking in the off-season, so this is no surprise that takings are extremely low. Though the whole 'East Cliff' area as a whole, over the year probably adds a considerable amount to the councils coffers from mainly visitors to the the town who want to visit the beach during the summer, and not be stung by the 'all day' charge on the Undercliffe.
Why there are no meters on the Boscombe/Southbourne clifftop is a bit of a mystery to me though. ok, restrictions would have to include the many side streets, but resident permits would be provided which would help residents to actually find a parking spot near there homes in the summer.
Bournemouth council do not like residents parking schemes. So that wouldn't get off the ground.
High Treason
says...
2:03pm Wed 27 Feb 13
wonderway
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2:22pm Wed 27 Feb 13
BmthNewshound
says...
2:23pm Wed 27 Feb 13
PokesdownMark wrote:There's no doubt if Beesley could introduce charges for using the beach, the parks or for simply walking down the street he would.
Why don't the council divide the beach up into squares and charge occupancy? Same thinking.
.
He knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.
Old Colonial
says...
2:50pm Wed 27 Feb 13
Phixer
says...
2:50pm Wed 27 Feb 13
It is irresponsible for BBC not to know the costs involved with spending your and my money.
I trust that the Echo will use its journalistic experience to pursue BBC to answer such issues.
Or is it cold and wet outside??
HRH of Boscombe
says...
2:56pm Wed 27 Feb 13
funkyferret wrote:That's why they won't tell the Echo. The plot thickens. We're probably all paying a cost for the privilege of not being able to park lol.
What we do need to know is exactly how much it costs to service & maintain these meters, (including the associated staffing & transport costs), to establish if there is any net gain at all.
BIGTONE
says...
3:09pm Wed 27 Feb 13
funkyferret wrote:Well, you should know by now....a council will spend £100 of your money to get £1.
What we do need to know is exactly how much it costs to service & maintain these meters, (including the associated staffing & transport costs), to establish if there is any net gain at all.
That will never change.
Otherwise it's top secret.
Lord Spring
says...
3:32pm Wed 27 Feb 13
Shame on you this comes under the Bournemouth Borough Council Official Secrets Act .
Wait for the knock on the the door at midnight MI5
Hessenford
says...
4:05pm Wed 27 Feb 13
rayc wrote:Quite right, they knew that when parking meters are installed anywhere people will not want to pay extortionate charges and will find somewhere else to park for free or cheaper, this is nothing to do with safety, it's all about filling the streets with meters to raise revenue.
“The west part of Manor Road is extremely popular, whereas the east part is not. But the meters need to be all the way along because otherwise they would take the revenue away from the clifftop".
And that's what its all about. Nothing to do with safety or movement of vehicles, just income.
Hessenford
says...
4:08pm Wed 27 Feb 13
RooToo42 wrote:Yea right, lets cover the whole country in parking meters, we have to pay tax and insurance to drive on the roads and now it seems we have to pay every time we stop, glad I do all my shopping on the internet and visit places which do not wage war on their tourist trade.
Manor Road is rarely used for parking in the off-season, so this is no surprise that takings are extremely low. Though the whole 'East Cliff' area as a whole, over the year probably adds a considerable amount to the councils coffers from mainly visitors to the the town who want to visit the beach during the summer, and not be stung by the 'all day' charge on the Undercliffe.
Why there are no meters on the Boscombe/Southbourne clifftop is a bit of a mystery to me though. ok, restrictions would have to include the many side streets, but resident permits would be provided which would help residents to actually find a parking spot near there homes in the summer.
ShuttleX
says...
4:25pm Wed 27 Feb 13
Phixer wrote:Phixer wrote "....I trust that the Echo will use its journalistic experience to pursue BBC to answer such issues."
"Bournemouth council was unable to provide the Echo with a breakdown of the costs of purchasing, installing and maintaining the meters"
It is irresponsible for BBC not to know the costs involved with spending your and my money.
I trust that the Echo will use its journalistic experience to pursue BBC to answer such issues.
Or is it cold and wet outside??
Don't hold your breath on the Echo actually doing any such thing. Much easier to cut and paste.
rayc
says...
5:02pm Wed 27 Feb 13
Councils are now paying the price of using parking as a control and as a revenue earner as now the two are in conflict. The motorists have taken the hint that they are not welcome except at a price and together with draconian enforcement of petty infringements also a factor, are staying away.
Wageslave
says...
6:55pm Wed 27 Feb 13
l'anglais wrote:I thought the idea was to get people out of their cars and on to public transport. Bus travellers still spend money, why should we pay more council tax to subsidise car drivers.
Why not take away parking meters all together?
This can be counterbalanced by increasing Council tax by 10%.
Those who drive go to places to spend money and will have more incentive to do so if they didn't have to pay for the right to spend.
West moors 1
says...
7:30pm Wed 27 Feb 13
rayc
says...
7:48pm Wed 27 Feb 13
Wageslave wrote:Is your bus service subsidised? I doubt you are paying the full commercial rate of providing the service, even the fuel the bus company is paying is covered under the Bus Service Operators Grant.
l'anglais wrote:I thought the idea was to get people out of their cars and on to public transport. Bus travellers still spend money, why should we pay more council tax to subsidise car drivers.
Why not take away parking meters all together?
This can be counterbalanced by increasing Council tax by 10%.
Those who drive go to places to spend money and will have more incentive to do so if they didn't have to pay for the right to spend.
"Under the Coalition government's Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) the grant was kept at 81% until April 2012, when reduced by 20%."
It looks like the Government plan lowering it even more so best take advantage of it.
mikeba
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8:37pm Wed 27 Feb 13
s-pb2
says...
10:04pm Wed 27 Feb 13
HRH of Boscombe
says...
10:26pm Wed 27 Feb 13
l'anglais wrote:Not so. The people/generation spending most are the 30-40yr olds. The begining of the online generation. Another reason why high streets are closing but it doesn't mean they should pay extra for the old bods to potter. Spend where you like.
Why not take away parking meters all together?
This can be counterbalanced by increasing Council tax by 10%.
Those who drive go to places to spend money and will have more incentive to do so if they didn't have to pay for the right to spend.
lionheart
says...
10:29pm Wed 27 Feb 13
Isn't there something illegal about the parking meters in Bournemouth?
Bournefre
says...
10:47pm Wed 27 Feb 13
The implication seems to be that every parking meter in Bournemouth takes around £2 per week, but I suspect many make a lot more.
rayc
says...
11:21pm Wed 27 Feb 13
Bournefre wrote:This one is there to ensure that the others, in a nearer or more desirable location for the user are used.
*THIS* Bournemouth parking meter may have made just £6 in three weeks, but what about the others?
The implication seems to be that every parking meter in Bournemouth takes around £2 per week, but I suspect many make a lot more.
l'anglais
says...
10:09am Thu 28 Feb 13
HRH of Boscombe wrote:I think you need to think a little before typing.
l'anglais wrote:Not so. The people/generation spending most are the 30-40yr olds. The begining of the online generation. Another reason why high streets are closing but it doesn't mean they should pay extra for the old bods to potter. Spend where you like.
Why not take away parking meters all together?
This can be counterbalanced by increasing Council tax by 10%.
Those who drive go to places to spend money and will have more incentive to do so if they didn't have to pay for the right to spend.
Car Park meters don't affect online shopping, however they have a major impact on High Streets.
Everyone benefits from a thriving economy, if amazon decided to impose delivery charges, their business would slow down.
Parking meters have the same affect on the High Streets.
However, the local council will have a shortfall in their coffers, therefore as everyone benefits from people spending their cash on the High Street rather than the Internet, everyone should contribute a little extra council tax and not rely on central govt. to bail you out.
stevobath
says...
12:27pm Thu 28 Feb 13
l'anglais wrote:I seem to recall paying P&P for a book I bought on Amazon?
HRH of Boscombe wrote:I think you need to think a little before typing.
l'anglais wrote:Not so. The people/generation spending most are the 30-40yr olds. The begining of the online generation. Another reason why high streets are closing but it doesn't mean they should pay extra for the old bods to potter. Spend where you like.
Why not take away parking meters all together?
This can be counterbalanced by increasing Council tax by 10%.
Those who drive go to places to spend money and will have more incentive to do so if they didn't have to pay for the right to spend.
Car Park meters don't affect online shopping, however they have a major impact on High Streets.
Everyone benefits from a thriving economy, if amazon decided to impose delivery charges, their business would slow down.
Parking meters have the same affect on the High Streets.
However, the local council will have a shortfall in their coffers, therefore as everyone benefits from people spending their cash on the High Street rather than the Internet, everyone should contribute a little extra council tax and not rely on central govt. to bail you out.
Also,moan about car parking charges in B'mouth?...Try Bath for parking & charges.
randson112
says...
2:17pm Thu 28 Feb 13
we pay road tax to be on the road, parking charges are just a tax on tax, fortunately people have a choice whether to pay them or not, and evidently not many people are willing to pay them, so who suffers, not the councils, they would only have spent it on more hare brained schemes, the high street shops definitely will suffer by lose of trade combined with excessive rent and exorbitant rates, the councils are the peoples responsibility, it is up to you to change the councils to make them work for you if you wish to sit back and be lazy then expect to suffer the consequences.
Stop Press
says...
3:14pm Thu 28 Feb 13
Do yourselves a favour, if there are any this year, enjoy the sunny days, before they start metering daylight and taxing us on that!
funkyferret says...
1:14pm Wed 27 Feb 13