City centre parking charges 'doomed'

David Ottewell

January 25, 2007

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COUN Pat Karney.

PLANS for evening and Sunday parking charges in Manchester look set to collapse after a senior Labour councillor branded them "crass and crude".

Pat Karney, the council's city centre spokesman, said in a letter to the M.E.N. that the proposed charges would "penalise city residents and modestly-paid city centre workers".

Coun Karney's Labour group control the town hall and have the final say on the proposals, which would see motorists charged up to é2.20 an hour to park in street bays from 8am to midnight, seven days a week.

Currently, the bays are free after 6pm and all day on Sundays.

A massive protest against the plans has erupted since details were revealed in the M.E.N. on January 12.

More than 3,000 have contacted us through www. manchestereveningnews. co.uk, with 96 per cent of respondents to our on-line poll voting against the move.

Chamber view

Even the Greater Manchester Chamber - which originally appeared supportive - has since spoken out against the new charges.

Coun Karney, in a joint letter with Labour council candidate Kathy Crotty, writes: "We do not believe that these crass and crude parking charges will solve these problems or benefit Manchester. We call on the council to withdraw these charges and set up a task force that listens to residents and workers."

The letter comes as the council prepares to end its consultation process. After looking at the results, town hall chiefs could publish a legal notice and proceed with charges. The M.E.N. has pledged to pass on all your responses to the council ahead of the deadline.

The intervention by such a senior figure as Coun Karney will increase speculation the Labour group will decide to ditch the plans.

DO you back Coun Karney's view? Have your say.

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Showing comments 1 to 16 and replies | View All

Angry McNasty, City Centre (25/01/2007 at 10:51)

"Pat Karney" - you talked a lot of bull over the "World Cup screens" issue - however this time you got my vote!! Well done Pat, at least someone see sense at MCC!

Rachel, M/C (25/01/2007 at 11:15)

If the council bring in the charges everyone who has a choice opposes them should vote with their feet and not go into the city centre unless they are unfortunate enough to live there. Hopefully they might change their minds quickly when they've seen the damage it'll cause.

Mr Chan s, Chinatown (25/01/2007 at 12:04)

Good on you Pat,you do all in chinatown proud,even though its common sense.Yum Sing (cheers)

Martin Stead, manchester (25/01/2007 at 13:19)

I believe the plans to charge for parking 6pm to 12am, 7 days a week are wrong.
As a resident with a car and no alloted car parking space i would have to cough up at least ¿¿13.20 every week night to park!
I moved to the centre to experience city centre living and pay my council tax and enjoy what the city offers.
if these parking changes came into effective. I would have to move

Craig, manchester (25/01/2007 at 13:40)

Course they are considering dropping the parking charges!!. I mean lets face it why would they need the money when they have now though of a better money making idea ........CONGESTION CHARGES!!. The parking meters will be left free anyway as people wont come to town now as a protest against the congestion charge

Derek Urhoghide, Manchester (25/01/2007 at 14:03)

I do not see the rationale for on street parking charges after 6pm Mon to Saturday and all day Sunday. Public transport is not reliable after those times thereby making it difficult for workers who work those hours getting into the city and going home as well. Also, like Coun Kerney wrote, the less paid workers would be worse off.

PAUL, ALTRINCHAM (25/01/2007 at 14:27)

The City Council seem to be doing all in their power to promote the Trafford centre or out of town locations. Under no circumstances will I pay an additional ¿¿7 to ¿¿10 pounds to park when I go to watch a film. At present I use the Northern warehouse or the Printworks. If these charges come in it will be Trafford Centre or East Didsbury and you can forget me coming in to the Library Theatre or the Opera House. I sometimes wonder if the people who think up these ideas live in the same world as the rest of us.

Dimitri Griliopoulos, Dimitris Restaurant Deansgate (25/01/2007 at 14:54)

The parking proposals would make the city centre a ghost town at night. Public transport is no good for evening and night workers and these workers would then have to pay between ¿¿5 & ¿¿10 per shift to park or take expensive taxis home. If your relaxing - to have a meal/theatre/drink might as well be done in the suburbs. Meters are set for 1 hour maybe 2 max, not long enough for a night out in town. Public transport is efficient for singles, but not for groups and only if you're going home well before midnight. Whoever came up with these proposals needs to resign - they obviously are living in cloud cookoo land not Manchester!

Dawn, Hyde (25/01/2007 at 15:24)

free train travel for all atthose times then?

Andy Powell, manchester (25/01/2007 at 15:48)

certainly do..he has just guaranteed my vote.

Liz, Manchester (25/01/2007 at 16:50)

Reading the MEN, you'd think he's the only councillor there is!
He's spoke a lot of clap-trap but finally is seeing sense!

johnthebrief, manchester (25/01/2007 at 17:07)

Unfair, unworkable and extortionate.

This beggars belief even by the standards of contempt for residents that Manchester Council usually displays.

jan, manchester (25/01/2007 at 17:42)

Once again no. Not just because we dont want to pay but because we cant get to the theatre and to Restaurants in the city. One or two hour parking times are no good - you dont know how long you will be if you go to the Restaurants after all! Will you let us park and pay for say four hours at a stretch? At what price?
We will not come into the city centre at night on the public transport or use taxis. Thank God the council cant make us come in to the centre - not yet anyway and pay for their madcap schemes!!
I still say, get rid of most of the disabled parking slots after 6pm - they are not being used by the disabled people - only by people who can get hold of a disabled parking pass! Ensure that the person who is named in the pass is travelling in the car before allowing favourable treatment. Make them renewable every year and make a small charge for it. Create more single yellow lines and allow parking free after 6pm every day.

If they wont do all this, come out in droves in May and get rid of Labour from the Town Hall. They have been in there too long. Dont just sit at home and moan!

Occasional Visitor, Swinton (25/01/2007 at 18:18)

Is this a result of fear, have the Burghers of Manchester finally woken up to what the public has been saying to them for the past two weeks?

Eric Ingham, East Didsbury (25/01/2007 at 21:14)

This is the most indefensible plan ever devised by any council,

The net result of such a plan would result in a reversal of the trend for more people to live in the city centre, not to mention the devasting effect on the night life of the city

shaz, manchester (26/01/2007 at 00:25)

All i can say is WELL SAID, its very nice to see that their are people in higher places who do see everything from our point of view.

I hope this is enough for hte council to re-think this over.

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