Late-Night Parking Boost for Town Centre Businesses

In a boost for Bedford Town Centre's excellent restaurants, bars and pubs, Mayor Dave Hodgson is introducing all-night parking for the first time ever at both Lurke Street and River Street Multi Storey Car Parks.

The two car parks will be open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week from Monday 19 May. Late-night opening of Lurke Street will benefit a range of premises, including the increasingly popular cluster of restaurants at nearby Castle Quay, where car parking is currently limited after daytime hours, while visitors to the Corn Exchange or restaurants or bars further to the west in the town centre will benefit from the permanent opening of the River Street facility.

Lurke Street and River Street multi-storey car parks are the busiest town centre multi-storey car parks and the new 24-hour opening will provide a significant boost to the town centre, particularly for the night-time economy.

New payment machines will also be installed at Lurke Street on the same day which, for the first time, will offer the facility for both card payments and change for cash payments. Following feedback from car park users, the current system being trialled at Lurke Street, requiring registration to be enetered upon return, will cease. The payment system will be the same across all multi-storey car parks, with car park users taking a ticket on entry and simply paying for the time they have used on their return to the car park.

Commenting, Mayor Dave Hodgson said: "We have sought to support town centre businesses through measures including a ongoing four-year freeze on shoppers' car park charges and two hours free parking on Saturdays.'

"Through 24/7 opening for both Lurke Street and River Street multi-storey car parks we have identified another way of supporting town centre businesses, particularly restaurants, pubs and the night-time economy in general."

Deputy Mayor and Portfolio Holder for Transport, Councillor Charles Royden said: "Car park users have also said that they like traditional pay on foot ticket machines which do not require registration numbers to be entered and they want machines which accept cash or credit cards and give change.'

"We are therefore fitting new machines which will do all of this and we will continue to do all we can to provide free or low cost parking in Bedford town centre which is both easy and convenient."