South Shields town centre set for free parking as seafront charges rise and machines go cashless
New car parking charges are set to come into force from this week.
South Tyneside Council has confirmed that its new car parking charges are set to come into force as it moves to a cashless system.
From Monday, June 8, motorists will get the first hour of parking in South Shields town centre for free, followed by a flat rate of £1 per hour thereafter.
The new offer replaces the previous 1p per minute tariff for the first 60 minutes - with the change made to all council-run car parks.
’We are working towards a cashless parking system’
South Tyneside Council will also be upgrading parking payment machines across the borough to offer card and pay-by-app options only.
Councillor Karen Pittuck, Lead Member for Highways, Neighbourhoods and Community Safety, said: “The introduction of a free first hour of parking in South Shields town centre is a simple change that we hope will encourage more people to spend time in the town centre while helping to maintain a good turnover of spaces.
“We want to make it easier for people to visit South Shields while supporting our traders, hospitality and the high street.
“Like many other councils across the country we are working towards a cashless parking system.
“Not only will this make it easier for residents and visitors, it will also make it safer and more cost-effective system for our parking team.
“It’s also worth noting that many of the current machines are at the end of their serviceable life and need to be replaced.”
Changes at the seafront
From Tuesday, June 9, South Shields seafront car parking tariffs will rise from £1.20 per hour and £6 for all day to £1.60 per hour and £8 all day as the council brings them into line with the region’s other coastal areas.
Cllr Pittuck added: “These changes will help to make it easier and more convenient for people to park and pay, with the new cashless system for coastal car parks also improving the reliability and security of the system.
“We will continue to monitor the impact of these changes in the months ahead and use feedback from town centre businesses to help inform any future decisions around parking charges.”
Signage will start being updated from June 8, with motorists warned that charges shown on the PayByPhone app and ticket machines may briefly differ during the change over period.
For ore information, visit: https://www.southtyneside.gov.uk/parking.