Commuters could be slapped with new workplace parking charges in one of the UK’s biggest cities under new proposals.
A Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) is being considered in Birmingham as part of a new approach to road traffic.
The policy would see vehicle owners charged for parking their cars at their office in another increase to weekly motoring costs.
The City Council has opened a consultation on the new Birmingham Road Harm Reduction Strategy which complements the Transport Plan.
The document makes clear that a feasibility study into a WPL charge is one of the key policies of the programme in a bid to reduce the number of cars on the road.
It reads: “A feasibility study for a Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) under which employers are charged an annual fee for each workplace parking space they provide, which has the potential to drastically reduce motor vehicles in the city centre.”
The strategy warns that there is an “urgent need to transform Birmingham’s streets”.
It makes clear that removing cars from the road is vital to this in a major blow for those travelling into the city centre on a daily basis.
It continues: “If we are to transition away from car dependency, walking and cycling must become the first choice for shorter trips and to access public transport. This requires the creation of safe and healthy environments, particularly in local neighbourhoods.”
WPL schemes charge employers who provide parking spaces to their workers. Businesses can front the costs themselves but are likely to pass the bill onto their staff.
Nottingham already has a WPL scheme in place with companies offering more than 11 bays hit with charges.
For every space above this, businesses will be slapped with a staggering £550 bill for 2024/25.
Birmingham’s Transport Plan had already suggested that a WPL scheme could be on the table.
It said: “Similarly, parking policies such as introducing a Workplace Parking Levy, reflect the environmental and social cost of the use of private cars, but will be accompanied by improvements in public transport, walking and cycling to provide better alternatives to the private car.”
The Transport Plan had already revealed that parking spaces would be subject to a reverie with many bays set to be scrapped.
The proposals also call for free parking inside the A4540 Ring Road to be axed while commuter car parking will be limited in areas that are well served by public transport.
