Life for York motorists has its ups and downs – and not just when they are negotiating Garrowby Hill.
One moment City of York Council is banning them from driving over Lendal Bridge for a large part of the day. The next, it is offering all motorists free parking.
In an act of rare largesse, the council is to make every one of the spaces in its 13 car parks free of charge. The catch? It’s just for one day, Saturday, February 1, 2014.
The car parks involved are:
- Bishopthorpe Road
- Bootham Row
- Castle
- Castle Mills
- Esplanade
- Foss Bank
- Haymarket
- Marygate
- Monkbar
- Nunnery Lane
- Piccadilly
- St George’s Field
- Union Terrace
“We have spoken to local businesses and recognised that this is a time of year when businesses most need a boost, as we all know how quiet the city can be in the post-Christmas period and we at the council are happy to support them,” said council leader James Alexander.
David Cox of the Federation of Small Businesses was impressed.
“By offering a free parking day on 1 February the council is helping small, specialist retail businesses, who make York truly different from other city centres, get through the difficult post Christmas period,” he said.
Presumably the loss of revenue to the council will be made up for by the income from more than 40,000 fines levied against Lendal Bridge transgressors so far…