Finding spaces to park takes way more time than it should. It’s a lovely world where everyone is car-free, but it’s not likely to happen soon. But in towns full of gridlocked traffic, there are good solutions that can free up traffic and stop pollution, and save you money (and even make you money if you own a driveway, garage or small car park). Let’s take a look!
JustPark is a parking app with over 5 million users. Use it to find cheap parking spaces, owned by people who make passive income (great if you have a little office car park, empty over weekends). Make tax-free income up to £1000 by renting spaces that would cost a fortune to visitors using conventional car parks. People can also book in advance to save 30% over big multi-storey car parks. Save up to 43% when renting long-term using the Monthly Saver. You can also rent (or rent out) electric vehicle chargers, to make a pretty penny and save the planet too.
Blue Badges give free parking in some disabled bays. The government ‘grace period’ of 10 minutes means you can challenge a fine (for late returns, if taking an elderly person or dog back to the car).
Ask your council to redesign car parks, like in the US where cars face diagonally (more room to get out of tight spots, so less chances of bumping someone else’s car or scraping it against a wall). Councils could also install solar lights to save energy and make costs savings on energy, to pass on.
Some people say that free parking encourages a car culture. But the truth is that bad town planning means many people have to drive (and supermarkets don’t give much time after a weekly shop to go into town, to support indie shops). People with wheelchairs or buggies often struggle to get back in the 2 hour limit, let alone go anywhere else. If you pay for parking, try to avoid machines that don’t give change. TaxPayers’ Alliance says the hundreds of thousands of pounds earned each year, is a form of indirect taxation.
Join a car-sharing club. If you drive less than 10,000 miles a year, you can save a lot of money (many clubs offer vehicles for pets, wheelchairs, children). After paying a joining fee and checking ID, the company pays for the cars, MOT, road tax, insurance, cleaning – with cards for petrol and breakdown in the glovebox. All you pay is an hourly charge, and as each car is used by 20 people each day, this takes 19 cars off the road (less traffic) and the car is always in use, so way more parking spaces!
