Parking Charges (part 1)

Torbay Council are having financial problems due to the rising no of free bus journeys taken by pensioners with bus passes. They pay the bus company a fixed charge for every journey we take.

They don't seem to understand that putting up the cost of car parking in Torbay by introducing parking meters will only lead to more pensioners using their free bus passes. Pensioners cannot afford to pay £1 an hour every time they drive into town. Instead of the council getting £1 per hour from the parking meter they may have to pay the bus company an equivalent amount, or more, for providing the free travel, probably for two pensioners at a time in and out of town. (4 trips)

When I moved here last March, all the on street parking was free, which was one of the reasons I moved here. I accepted the high council tax in exchange for free on street parking, or so I thought.

£1 an hour is an excessive charge for a small place like Paignton anyway as most of the shops have now closed or become charity shops. Only Tesco seem to be flourishing. What a surprise that is.