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Bristol pressing ahead with plans for parking tax
Bristol City Council is pressing ahead with plans to introduce a tax that would charge companies that provide staff with car parking spaces at their premises.
The council is considering introducing an annual “workplace levy” on each space that companies provide. The move is an attempt to force more commuters to use public transport and bicycles to travel to work instead of their cars.
Nottingham City Council has already agreed to adopt the scheme in 2012 and other cities in the country are expected to follow.
Gary Hopkins, cabinet member for strategic transport, waste and targeted improvement, said Bristol was seriously exploring the potential for a levy but no time-frame had yet been agreed.
“The potential benefits for transport from the money raised could mean lower bus fares - or even free bus fares in the city centre, discounted season tickets, and help attract other bus companies into the city bringing more competition,” he said.
Councillor Hopkins said the introduction of a levy could help pay for investment in smart cards, integrated ticketing, real-time bus information and local car clubs that could provide flexibility for people who need to use a car some of the time, but want to keep costs down.
"It would also lead to a small reduction in peak time traffic in the city centre, which I am sure businesses in the city would welcome, reducing the cost of lost staff time and lost business due to customers being put off by traffic congestion,” he added.
Other local authorities in the South West that are also actively examining the possible introduction of the charge include Devon, Bournemouth, South Somerset and Wiltshire.
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