Following the recent decision made by Blaby District Council to raise the daily cost of parking at Narborough station from £5 to £6, the Friends of Narborough Station group has expressed deep concern about the increase and the potential impact it may have on the existing on-street parking situation immediately surrounding the station.
John Harrison, Chair of FONS said: “As the country continues to recover from the Covid pandemic, we are rightly putting a lot of resources into encouraging people to get out of their cars and on to public transport. We are also aware that Blaby District Council has a “Green Agenda”.
“Any increase in car parking charges is never popular but we suggest at this time when people are struggling financially, this is especially not the right time. Blaby District Council should be looking more deeply at the situation and not simply putting up prices.
“Ideally car parking charges, where they apply, should be included in the price of a rail ticket. Transport for West Midlands have many railway stations where parking is free, so why cannot this be considered at Narborough, for rail users. Parking for Blue Badge Holders is also free in the West Midlands.
“We also have three excellent Park and Ride ‘bus sites serving Leicester where parking is free. Where this is the case, loadings on connecting train and ‘bus journeys have risen far greater post-Covid, than where parking charges have to be paid.
“Increasing car parking charges will further the transfer of rail commuters to their cars and thus be against both our government’s sustainability and climate change plans, and indeed the District Council’s own green strategy.
“Those people that continue to use the train and enjoy the quick 12-minute journey into Leicester and 45 minutes to the centre of Birmingham, will park wherever they can find a space and thus continue to block nearby side streets and in some cases, causing considerable inconvenience to local businesses, residents and churches.”
Whilst the FONS Committee did not expect free parking at Narborough Station, we suggested a compromise proposal: No increase in the cost of weekday parking. Free parking on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. Blue Badge holders park free all day.
FONS feel that parking should be free on Saturdays because the number of cars parking is considerably less than on a weekday. In addition, engineering work on the railway (associated with HS2 and the Midland Main Line electrification programme) will be increasing at weekends over the next few years and that in itself will deter passengers from travelling and make it not worth paying enforcement officers to patrol the car park. Rail passengers tend to find alternative means when warned of such temporary disruption taking place.
At present on a weekday there are about 30 empty spaces in the station car park, with the streets and spaces of Narborough and Littlethorpe blocked with commuter’s cars. FONS considers this to be an unacceptable situation.