Mayor's Free Parking Deal: Mayor Confirms Start Date and Further Parking Initiatives
- Mayor's Free Parking Deal to commence on November 23rd, in time for the main Christmas shopping period
- Lurke Street Car Park to remain open until 12.30am on Fridays and Saturdays, from November 22nd
- Queen Street multi-storey car park to open twenty four hours, seven days a week from Friday 22nd November.
On the day that he signed the formal decision to introduce two hours' free Saturday parking in Bedford Town Centre, Lib Dem Mayor Dave Hodgson announced the planned start date for the Mayor's Free Parking Deal along with additional measures to support Bedford's night time economy.
Work is underway to get the Mayor's Free Parking Deal in place as soon as possible, in order that traders and shoppers can benefit from the new arrangements during the all-important Christmas shopping period. With legal requirements to undertake a public consultation on changes to parking arrangements before they can be implemented, Mayor Dave has confirmed that the start date for the Free Parking Deal will be Saturday November 23rd, in time for the main Christmas shopping period.
Mayor Dave Hodgson said: "We want shoppers and traders to start benefitting from the Free Parking Deal as soon as possible. We are sending out a message loud and clear that Bedford is open for business, and issuing a rallying cry across Bedford and beyond for people to support the town centre. After three straight years of car park charge freezes while they are rising elsewhere, the Free Parking Deal is designed to make the decisive difference when people are choosing where to shop on a Saturday. People care deeply about their town centre, and if we work together to promote what Bedford has to offer, including the first two hours' parking free on Saturdays from November 23rd, the benefits to the town, its traders and shoppers will be tremendous."
In addition to news of the start date for the Free Parking Deal, Mayor Dave has also confirmed details of further parking initiatives to support the night time economy and make enjoying an evening out in Bedford a more attractive and convenient option. In response to requests from businesses for further evening parking to support town centre restaurants and other businesses, Lurke Street Multi-Storey Car Park will remain open every Friday and Saturday until 12.30am, giving everyone the chance to enjoy an evening out in the knowledge that they can park conveniently in the heart of the town centre. This request has come from businesses themselves, and Mayor Dave and Bedford Borough Council will be working with businesses to promote the scheme and help to make it a success for Bedford. In addition, Queen Street multi car park, in close proximity to a string of restaurants in the Tavistock Street and Broadway area, will be open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week under the new arrangements. Normal tariffs will apply for the late opening of both Lurke Street and Queen Street Car Parks
Commenting, Mayor Dave Hodgson added: "We want to support the Town Centre economy as a whole, and that obviously includes businesses dependent on trade in the evenings. We have listened to traders who have requested more car parking to be made available in the evenings, and will work with them to make these new late openings a success for them and for Bedford Town Centre as a whole."