Council to change car parking charges

Herefordshire Council says it is changing its car parking charges in a bid to make it simpler for road users.

The new structure, which will see the price of parking divided into bands relative to proximity to Hereford city centre of the market town centres, is designed to incentivise people looking for longer-term parking to park further from the centre.

The council says it will give road users the option to balance spending less on parking with a short walk, and ensuring there are plenty of spaces available in the centre for short term users.

Parking will also be free in all market towns on Sundays and after 6pm every day, while in Hereford the charged parking period has been reduced down by two hours and will now be free after 8pm every day.

The changes are planned to take effect on May 3, 2021.

A council spokesperson said: “The new charges, which will be easy to understand, will take effect in May and more details of charges at each location can be found on the Herefordshire Council website.

“Effectively managing the demand for parking spaces allows us to ensure the turnover of spaces to help with availability, reduce congestion and improve air quality.

“We want our historic city and town centres to be clean, vibrant and busy centres where people can meet, shop, eat and work.”