A cash-strapped council’s parking revenue is plummeting as residents switch to bus travel.

The Green-led administration has welcomed the fact fewer shoppers are parking in the city centre.

But traders in Brighton and Hove say excessive parking charges has stopped people visiting the city.

Brighton and Hove City Council is blaming poor weather and increasing bus journeys for the fact that income from on-street pay and display machines was slashed by £922,000 last year.

According to papers filed ahead of council’s Policy and Resources Committee meeting next week, The Lanes car park has underachieved on its income budget by £76,000.

An unresolved dispute over insurance invoices at the Lanes Car Park has led to an additional overspend against budget of £60,000.

Car users switched from two-hour stays to one hour at the Trafalgar Street and Regency Square car parks, which cut income by £396,000 Meanwhile new figures show the number of bus journeys made in Brighton and Hove has doubled.

Olympics

Bus journeys soared from 22 million in 1992/3 to 44.8 A spokeswoman for the council said: “We are delighted increasing numbers of people are walking, cycling and we’ve seen a 5% increase in people taking buses.

Congestion “It is part of the local transport plan and it will help reduce congestion, pollution and encourage people to be more active.

“The poor weather and the Olympics is also an unavoidable factor in pay and display income budget.”

Peter Allinson, from the North Laine Traders Association, said: “I think people will always come to Brighton because it’s the place to be, but I think a lot are surprised by the parking charges and it stops them coming back.

“I hope that the council will reconsider their overall strategy to make sure that coming to Brighton is an enjoyable experience for all.”

Mark Prior, head of transport at Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “We work with our partners to provide a public transport network that offers good choice, is easy to use and convenient.

“More people choosing to use buses will also help to reduce the city’s carbon footprint.”

Martin Harris, managing director of Brighton and Hove Bus Company, in Conway Street, said: “The Brighton and Hove bus service has been a big success because we work hard to ensure that services respond to what people want and working in partnership means we can achieve so much more.

“It’s good to know that bus travel in the city is continuing to go from strength to strength.”