New Trowbridge car parking stipulations that will see shoppers have two hours less to park for free have sparked debate among residents.
The car park on Castle Street and County Way, serving Gregg’s, M&S, and other brands on the site, has seen a reduction in the time allowed to spend in the car park without having to buy a ticket.
The car park had formerly allowed customers park on the site for up to three hours without paying – now, car park users were only permitted to park there for one hour before having to pay.
READ MORE: Snake spotted in the open on Bradford on Avon canal towpath
News of the change was shared on the popular Spotted in Trowbridge social media page, and instigated debate among users.
Issues with parking stipulations has been a recurrent affair in Trowbridge, with several car parks coming under scrutiny in recent months.
Many hit out at the change in the Smart Parking-run area, lamenting the tighter limits on free spaces and potential impact it could have on trade in the town centre.
One user responded: “These parking companies are becoming a plague. An extra ‘tax’ if drivers aren’t careful and don’t understand the rules (which can be vague at times)."
Another commented: “Even less reason to go to Trowbridge and certainly won’t be shopping in M&S anymore! Trowbridge is empty of people as it is.”
The view that charges for parking would hit traders was seconded in another comment, which read: “Shame. Another blow to Trowbridge traders and another reason not to encourage visitors.”
Others, however, were less bothered by the reduction, believing that for the shops on site, the new time limit on free parking was appropriate. Some said that the fees were altogether relatively low and therefore would have little impact on shoppers.
One commentor wrote: “I can’t see what the problem is with these charges, no one goes into Greggs or M&S for more than an hour anyway, if you can afford to shop in M&S and if you are in there for over an hour spending money (pretty big shop for an hour)then an extra couple of quid is going to make no difference at all!
“If you moan about this charge, then walk, park elsewhere, shop elsewhere, can’t expect everything for nothing all the time.”
An individual posted: “Why does anyone need more than hour to visit M&S or Greggs?”
One user said: “It's astonishing how tight people become when they need to pay a couple of quid to store their two-ton property on private land.”
SEE ALSO: Bradford on Avon pub still shut months after mystery closure
Another appeared to second this view by comparing the situation in Trowbridge with another Wiltshire town: “Wish parking in Salisbury was that cheap!”
Responding to the Wiltshire Times, a spokesperson for Smart Parking said: “The car park on Castle St/County Way is hugely popular and used by customers of M&S and Greggs.
“We were originally brought into manage the car park to ensure genuine customers can always find somewhere to park, and to stop parking abuse. To do this we set the original 3 hours of free parking.
“However, due to the huge demand at the car park, as an act of fairness we have had to reduce the free time at the site to allow more customers the opportunity to park for free.
“Smart Parking are proud members of the British Parking Association (BPA) and strictly follow its guidelines.
“For motorists who receive a charge from us but feel there are mitigating circumstances in their cases, we operate a BPA audited appeals process and would encourage people to access it."
Share