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December was a busy time for car parks across Wokingham with transport bosses in the borough announcing the Christmas rush has helped increase year-on-year ticket sales. Despite providing shoppers with free parking on Saturdays throughout the month Wokingham Borough Council has revealed 5,619 tickets were purchased by motorists during the first full week of December. Figures show 575 more tickets were purchased at council car parks in Wokingham, Woodley, Twyford and Wargrave compared to the same week in 2010. The council owns car parks at The Paddocks, Denmark Street, Easthampstead Road, Rose Street and Cockpit Path in Wokingham, Headley Road, Crockhamwell Road, Lytham Road (east and west) in Woodley, Polehampton Close in Twyford and School Lane in Wargrave. And on Saturday, December 3, 10, and 24, transport bosses waived hourly rates for using these car parks as part of an unnual incentive offered to shoppers at Christmas. Although encouraged by the car parking figures for December Councillor Keith Baker, executive member for transport at the borough council, said the numbers represent what he described as a "consistent" year for parking across Wokingham. He added increases in the number of tickets and hours sold throughout 2011 has made it difficult for him to even consider proposing the idea of increasing prices at car parks in the future. Cllr Baker said: "Christmas is mostly a busy time for car parking across Wokingham. "I have been monitoring the ticket sales along with the hours sold because clearly ticket sales tell you the footfall and also because we want people to stay in our town centres longer because they have more time to spend. "I have been monitoring the figures ever since we had to put the prices up on parking four years ago. Usage has been going up on an average and the numbers have been getting better right across the board." Cllr Baker said figures show July, August, September and October were particularly encouraging for usage at town centre car parks, with usage in these particular months up 1.2 per cent, 2.7 per cent, 3.3 per cent and four per cent respectively on the same time in 2010. "Obviously we are quite delighted with the figures," Cllr Baker said. "We would have to have an amazingly strong business case to raise the price of tickets, and although usage has been quite constant with increased ticket sales I still consider these figures to be a bit fragile and I am sure traders in the town centre will feel the same. "Therefore I would not want to do anything to harm that." Town centre trader John Piasecki, who is the proprietor of Hudson Bay in Denmark Street, compared the volume of shoppers visiting Wokingham town centre throughout 2011 to a rollercoaster, saying: "The start of the year was very encouraging but the middle of the year less so and the summer really wasn't great. The weather during May, June, July and August wasn't special and being a clothes retailer doesn't help and it was a bit flat during the summer. "The autumn started off pretty well for us and so did December, but in the middle it got disappointing and thankfully picked up the last few days before Christmas. If car parking in 2012 can stay consistent, great, if it can improve – brilliant." When asked what he hoped 2012 would bring for town centre revenue Mr Piasecki added: "What happens next year is anybody's guess, but from a retailer perspective it is about getting the right merchandise to bring people to the town. "Get it right and it will be a successful year; get it wrong and it could be another struggle." |
Monday, 9 January 2012
Hundreds more used car parks at Christmas
