London Road traders say parking charges killing trade

3:57pm Sunday 28th October 2012 in News

For years it has proved a popular place for people looking to pick up a bargain from independent traders.

But are the recent parking charge hikes by Brighton and Hove City Council leading to the death of London Road?

This is the view of dozens of traders who claim the on-street tariffs of £3.50 an hour, introduced this April, have led to income dropping by a third, while some have lost their livelihoods.

Council bosses maintain the charges are reducing congestion, improving air quality and encouraging people to use other forms of transport.
 

But Ann Townsend, who owns a business premises in London Road, said: “This has had an absolutely disastrous effect on local businesses.

“Every shop and outlet in the London Road area has the same story to tell.

“Overnight there was a dramatic drop in trade with customers.

“This situation is econom- ically unsound. People are losing their jobs.

“Shop owners who have been trading in the area for many years are now losing their livelihoods.”

Ms Townsend urged the local authority to lift all parking charges, both on- street and in London Road car park, in December.

Long-term, she believes, the local authority should return tariffs to less than £1 an hour, which was “a level commensurate with an eco- nomically depressed area”.

In response, Ian Davey, the council’s transport committee chairman, said:

“London Road has some of the worst congestion in the city and some of the worst air pollution too – which puts people off from shopping there.

“However London Road also has some of the best public transport links in the city, with hundreds of buses carrying thousands of people going to and through the area each day.

“It’s close to Brighton and London Road stations, and many people also walk through the area on their way into the city centre.

“The Open Market and The Level will be completed next year and will have a positive impact on footfall in the area.

“Most people who travel to London Road either walk, cycle or go by bus but the car park remains a good value option for those who choose to drive.”

Coun Davey added use of London Road car park, where it cost £1 an hour to leave a vehicle during weekdays, had exceeded expectations by 15%.

But Neil Underwood, of Principal Meats, who has been trading in the area for 28 years, said: “I’ve never known it this bad in the area.

“Trade is down by a third on last year and parking is the only thing that’s changed.

“When the tariffs came in I had two regular customers who spend about £60 a month tell me they weren’t coming back.

"True to their word they haven’t.

“I’ve not been able to replace two staff members who have left.

"I’m working seven days a week just to survive.”

Graham Maides, of M and B Meats, said: “I’m struggling to do deliveries any more.

"Parking in the area will cost £14 a day, which I just can’t do.

“I have to leave my vehicles in Southover Street or Elm Grove areas where parking is free.

“There are times where I’m running along loading boxes of 30 or 40 kilos into the back of my son’s car while he’s still driving.”

A city-wide review of parking ended yesterday, the results of which will be published next year.

Comments(21)

rolivan says...
4:29pm Sun 28 Oct 12

When are the buses going to have trailers for shopping bags?

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On_the_Level says...
4:54pm Sun 28 Oct 12

Without traders what would become of London Road? You would be wise to respect their views Mr Davey, and if you can't manage that, step aside.

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leobrighton says...
4:54pm Sun 28 Oct 12

I agree just recently some friends told me they drove to the area to go to a restaurant at about 6pm they were shocked to find it cost 3.50 per hour to park their van on the vacant on street spaces they ended up going back home

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davyboy says...
5:09pm Sun 28 Oct 12

£3.50 an hour won't help trade, but lets face it, there isn't much in london road anyway. not my shopping area of choice, anyway. how does high parking charges help congestion? the only thing to ease any congestion is NO PARKING! there is a car park behind aldi, i believe, and as a major through route, london rd should be a clearway, meaning no parking or loading at all, at specified times, with suitable warden presence.

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Uncle_Meat says...
5:18pm Sun 28 Oct 12

What a surprise, some of them end up parking in Hanover. Well done to the short-sighted clowns who said we didn't need residents parking 2 years ago.

We did then and it's beyond critical now.

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Maxwell's Ghost says...
5:24pm Sun 28 Oct 12

I have to agree. I have a friend with a disability who does not have a car and does not have a badge.
Sometimes I drive them for dinner at the shahi Indian and then a film at the duke of yorks. We would park in a bay which was free after 6pm.
I was shocked to find its now 3.50 an hour after 6pm even on a cold, wet winters night. It would have added £10.50 to a night out for three hours parking.
Instead we drove out of the empty bay and went to the Marina for free parking and the cinema and dinner.
Silly when all the bays were empty. Definitely killing trade and if the argus go into town in the week and talk to restaurant staff you will get a good idea of the perilous state of winter trade.

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skippy981 says...
5:50pm Sun 28 Oct 12

So by increasing parking charges. which allegedly decreases congestion and improves air quality at the expense of local business its ok

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keswick says...
6:06pm Sun 28 Oct 12

These Green idiots will never recognise that their obsessive war with the motorist is not only killing London Road but the city as a whole. They claim that it is done to improve congestion which it will do because the time will come when nobody will wish to come to Brighton anymore. However in acheiving that aim they will destroy every business in the city. The fact that the Green Party will suffer the same fate as the Liberal Democrats will nationally is no consolation as the damage will have been done by then.

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deve says...
6:38pm Sun 28 Oct 12

I drive to the marina now to shop and eat. Its a longer journey, but with free parking its a no brainer. All the greens have done is make people drive further - thus adding to the miles beng driven and increasing pollution. They have moved the problem elsewhere, ruining traders income. Very selfish. Wonder if there is a way to see the increase in visitors to the marina snce the parking charges came in. Asda tried to charge for parking in the marina briefly - they soon withdrew charges because they learnt the impact. Shame the Greens dont learn the same lessons.

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Jimmy Stewart's Imaginary Rabbit says...
7:08pm Sun 28 Oct 12

BUT IF YOU'RE A BRIGHTON RESIDENT IT COSTS TOO MUCH TO GO ON THE BUS!

Part of the congestion is me now driving down to drop of my wife, driving home, and then driving back again a few hours later to pick her up. For resident cheaper parking could halve car use, but that would mean the Greens having to think and we all know that isn't their strong suit.

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Bob_The_Ferret says...
9:39pm Sun 28 Oct 12

Ian Davey is just spewing hot air from his digestive system. People who are being put off from visiting and shopping in the London road area, and in fact all over the city, are not just happily hopping on the bus or on a bike instead, they just aren't coming; they are taking their business elsewhere, where they are welcomed. Empty parking spaces aren't a sign of a successful parking policy, they are wasted parking spaces.

Davey claims London Road is polluted and congested; maybe that's largely down to the hundreds of buses he's so fond of. Just look at North Street which pretty much has only buses - it's one of the most polluted and congested streets in the city.

The writing is is on the wall for the greens, it's just tragic that we have to wait until 2015 to send them back to obscurity where they belong. Meanwhile they are going to do a lot more damage to our city if we don't fight them every step of the way.

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Plantpot says...
8:09am Mon 29 Oct 12

Brighton and Hove is quite a big city. it seems to me that when the Greens pronounce on transport, they are only thinking of the central, tourist/visitor area. I'm sure the trains are packed on a sunny day as people flock to the beach, pubs and restaurants. But Brighton and Hove is a lot more than just this narrow, central area, and it's these other areas, frequented predominantly by locals that are suffering. London Road isn't going to attract visitors unless something dramatic happens. London Road shopping is for B&H residents, and if they get priced out, there is no hope for the traders.

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Fight_Back says...
9:28am Mon 29 Oct 12

I wonder if Ian Davey and Jason Kitcat would be happy to have their incomes slashed to £75 a week because that's what they have done to many people who have lost their jobs due to the Greens drive to increase parking income.

So shops are seeing a drop in trade, people are losing their jobs and even the council has seen a £700k drop in parking revenue yet Ian Davey STILL buries his head in the sand and denies responsibility.

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funkyyoyo says...
10:51am Mon 29 Oct 12

non payment of businness rates should stir the bees nest!!!! if enough people do it,then people power wins

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NickBtn says...
11:56am Mon 29 Oct 12

The council isn't listening. I'd hoped that the greens would be pragmatic. They're not - they are ideological extremists believing incorrectly that people can live and work in a small area without needing cars. If only that were the case.

Yes, encourage public transport usage but don't kill cars, parking and jobs.

So how is encouraging public transport use going? Well, fares rising well above inflation... that's not going to help is it?

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Cash Bull says...
5:02pm Mon 29 Oct 12

You have the Council, Police and Newspaper you deserve, you all had your chances to improve all three and wasted them

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Sean Jenkins says...
7:11pm Mon 29 Oct 12

I got on a bus for the first time in many years. £2.20. I was expecting about a pound. I'll stick to driving.

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Hoarder12345444 says...
9:59pm Mon 29 Oct 12

skippy981 wrote:
So by increasing parking charges. which allegedly decreases congestion and improves air quality at the expense of local business its ok
Yeah exactly it doesnt change that at all. It's a complete and utter farce and will hurt good local businesses, when will the council listen and stop caring about stupid, pathetic pointless green vanity projects that dont work. It's the main road into Brighton and will always be busy regardless of if people park up and shop or not, and it's full of stinking dirty buses!! How are they green???

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Hoarder12345444 says...
10:00pm Mon 29 Oct 12

Sean Jenkins wrote:
I got on a bus for the first time in many years. £2.20. I was expecting about a pound. I'll stick to driving.
Exactly, i feel the same.

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Fairfax Sakes says...
12:32pm Tue 30 Oct 12

Considering the only thing that gets traded on London road is various illegal substances, I say tarmac over the whole blasted area and turn it into a car park. Or better, drop a 10,000lb bomb in the middle and kill two birds with one stone.

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Max_Normal says...
6:45pm Sun 25 Nov 12

There is nothing green about the Green party. Remember that they cancelled the park and ride (which would have massively improved our air quality) in favour of a gypsy site as well?
The greens have no idea about green technology or preserving the environment, they are all about social engineering and nothing more.

They are just a bunch of looney extreme Marxists that have been voted in on false pretenses. I hope potential voters in other cities take note of this.

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