Everything you need to know about new parking charges in South Shields town centre, starting today
The council is also phasing out cash parking ticket machines
South Tyneside Council is introducing one-hour free parking in South Shields town centre car parks from today (June 8).
The first free hour will be followed by a flat rate of £1 per hour thereafter, and replaces the previous 1p per minute tariff for the first 60 minutes. The change to council-run car parks has been designed to support businesses, encourage more visits to the town centre while helping to maintain turnover of parking spaces.
As part of a move towards a more modern, convenient and cashless system, the Council is also upgrading car parking payment machines across the borough to offer card and pay-by-app options only. New machines will be introduced at a number of coastal car parks from Monday 8 June. Drivers are encouraged to download the PaybyPhone app ahead of this date to make paying for parking as quick and easy as possible.
Council chiefs feel the improvements will help to make the parking service “more secure, reliable, cost-effective and efficient while better meeting the needs of residents and visitors”.
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 a 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.”
Council chiefs have also reminded residents that from tomorrow (June 9), seafront coastal parking charges are set to change, “bringing them into line with the region’s other coastal areas”. The fees will move to £1.60 per hour, or £8 all day.
Councillor 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 today (Monday).
During the short changeover period, there may be times when the charges shown on pay-by-phone and ticket machines briefly differ from the new signage. Notices will be placed on machines while the work is underway to support motorists and ensure they can “continue to park and pay with ease”.