Bristol car parking charges set to double in many areas - full list of proposed locations and tariff breakdown

The tariff changes will impact the Hotwells & Harbourside, Central, Ashley, Clifton & Lawrence Hill areas
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Bristol City Council is set to increase charges at its car parks and on-street bays in and around the city centre as part of a further bid to persuade more people to ditch their cars.

A decision will be made on the proposal tomorrow (October 4), with hopes the price hikes will complement the incoming Clean Air Zone by ‘discouraging long stay parking by encouraging more sustainable modes of transport such as walking, cycling, public transport and park and ride’.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Officers behind the plan also hope the rise in charges ‘support leisure and retail sectors by facilitating the provision of cheaper short stay parking’.

The move, set to generate an extra £1.6 million a year, will most impact those who drive into the city to work, shop or visit for at least an hour.

The proposed tariff changes are for 15 off street car parks.

They include Trenchard Street, West End, Temple Gate, Portwall Lane, The Grove, Redcliffe Parade, Mardyke Wharf, Lower Guinea Street, and College Street where the changes are displayed below:

TariffCurrentProposed
Up to 1 hour£1.50£2.50
Up to 2 hours£3£5
Up to 3 hours£4.50£7.50
Up to 4 hours£6£10
Over 4 hours£13.50£18
Evening (6pm to midnight)£3.50£4
Overnight (6pm to 9am)£5£5.50
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Tariff changes are also proposed for the council’s eight ‘district car parks’ which are Diamond Street, Hereford Street, Little Paradise and Sheene Road in Bedminster, Brunel Lock and McAdam Way in Spike Island, Charles Place and Oldfield Place in Hotwells:

TariffCurrentProposed
Up to 1 hour50p£1
Up to 2 hour£1£2
Up to 3 hour£1.50£3
Up to 4 hour£2£4

Bristol First car park, on Church Street, will see charges increased for stays, capped at four hours up until 6pm without permits, from £6 to £10.

The Maritime Heritage Centre car park will see the price to park for up to two hours rise from £3 to £5, for up to three hours rise from £4.50 to £7.50, for up to four hours rise from £6 to £10, for up to five hours rise from £7.50 to £12.50.

Queens Square, and Brunswick Square car parks’ tariffs will begin charging £6 for up to two hour stays, up from £5 and £4 for evenings and £5.50 for nights, up from £3.50 and £5 respectively.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In a second phrase, Frog Lane will see its tariff changed. Currently you motorists can park for up to two hours for £5, but this will change to £2.50 for one hour, £5 for two, £7.50 for three, £10 for four. The cost of parking in the evening will rise from £3.50 to £4 and overnight from £5 to £5.50

Elsewhere, the popular Wapping Wharf area will have its weekend rates scrapped and replaced with a week-long, more expensive tariff.

Visitors currently pay £2 for an up-to-three-hour stay from Monday to Friday, £2 for a two-hour stay and £4 for longer on Saturdays, and £2 for any period on Sundays.

The cabinet plans will charge the following for all days, starting at £2.50 for one hour, £5 for two £7.50 for three, £10 for four, £12.50 for five, £4 for evening parking, and £5.50 for night parking.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Tariffs would also change in parking bays on all roads in the Central Parking Zone, a city centre area which includes Brandon Hill, Castle Park, University of Bristol and Broadmead.

Those parked in the area’s parking bays will see the £4 charge for up to one hour parking not change. However, parking for up to two hours will go up from £5 to £6, while parking for up to four hours will rise from £6 to £12.

Bristol City Council’s central parking zone will see increases to parking tariffs.Bristol City Council’s central parking zone will see increases to parking tariffs.
Bristol City Council’s central parking zone will see increases to parking tariffs.

Evening parking, from 6pm to midnight) will go up from £3.50 to £4.

The rise in parking charges come before the introduction of the Clean Air Zone, and at a time bus services are being squeezed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

From next week (October 9), a raft of changes from First Bus, including the cutting of eight routes, will come into force as the operator struggles against a fall away in passenger numbers and a shortage of drivers.

But on the council report proposing the increase in parking charges, it states: “While the Council is disappointed that public transport costs have increased, it is also important that parking charges remain relative to the cost of public transport in order to encourage the modal shift away from the private car.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.