Consultation on increasing permit charges for larger vehicles

It could soon be more expensive to park a van or Range Rover outside your house in much of Bath, as the council considers charging bigger vehicles a higher price for a parking permit.

Bath & North East Somerset Council led the way on emissions-based parking charges, which mean that how much you pay for parking depends on how polluting your car is.

Now, on top of this, the council wants to make residents’ parking permits more expensive for larger vehicles and discounted for smaller vehicles.

Under the plans, a Smart car owner would get a £20 discount on their permit each year, while someone with the largest model of Ford Transit would have to pay £112 more.

The council said: “Studies suggest that larger and taller vehicles like SUVs and vans are more likely to cause increased injuries or fatalities in a collision with a pedestrian, especially children, or cyclists due to factors which include bonnet height and increased blind spots.”

It is the second time people are being asked to have their say on the idea. Just under 500 people responded to a previous consultation about it last year, with exactly half of them supporting the idea, 44% opposed to it, and 6% having no opinion.

Joel Hirst, the council’s cabinet member for sustainable transport strategy, said: “We want to hear as many voices as possible, that’s why we decided to consult again on these changes via a formal traffic regulation order.”

He said: “The way we manage parking has a direct impact on road safety, fairness, and the council’s ability to maintain essential services. What we’re proposing to do will help us achieve this. Higher charges for larger vehicles and discounts for smaller ones will encourage more people to use safer, smaller and cleaner vehicles, which will also help improve air quality.”

But concerns have been raised about the impact on large families who drive people-carriers.

The additional charge for owning a Ford Galaxy would be more than twice as much as it would be for owning an Aston Martin Vantage V8.

Resident parking zones now cover large parts of Bath. Despite concerns that they have pushed problem parking into other areas of the city, plans to extend them out to further areas have been controversial.

The consultation also asks people’s opinions on a host of other changes related to parking, including increasing the cost of visitors RPZ permits over the next three years, making vehicles get a valid MOT before they can get a parking permit, and increasing the charge for parking at Bath’s Park & Rides without using the buses from £3 to £4.

Manda Rigby, council cabinet member for communications and community, said: “We have three brilliant Park & Ride sites that run fast, regular and convenient services into the city and provide free parking for those using the service.

“One of our proposed changes is to increase the cost of 24-hour parking at these sites for motorists not using the service and want to hear your views.”

The consultation runs until 5pm on 18th June. You can respond at https://bit.ly/4u8RyPU.

John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter