Liverpool City Council has defended its latest wave of major parking changes.
New measures are set to come into effect in the city centre with a strategy which will see existing parking sites removed alongside a new multi-storey on the outskirts.
Employers with parking spaces also face a potential tax as the local authority aims to significantly reduce the number of vehicles coming into the heart of the city.
But local Liberal Democrats leader Carl Cashman claims the move risks deterring visitors to the area and warned that the council ‘can’t afford to get this wrong’.
Cllr Cashman has also argued that councillors should lead by example by giving up their own free parking passes should the controversial changes go ahead.
He said: “Residents and visitors are getting so many mixed messages from the Council that it risks becoming a war on cars and turning people away.
“We should be actively encouraging more people to come to Liverpool and spend money, not sending a message that if you drive in, you’re not wanted.
“We shouldn’t villainise people who choose to drive in — sometimes it’s the most sensible option. If you’re disabled, have low mobility, or are travelling in a large group, taking a car might be the most practical choice.
“Many people now drive electric vehicles, which will be the norm in a few years’ time.
“If the council rushes this, they risk damaging Liverpool’s economy by discouraging car users whose vehicles are now much more environmentally friendly.
“We know what gets people out of their cars — joined-up thinking around mass transit — and at the moment, that doesn’t exist in Liverpool.”
The Labour-run council has already scrapped free evening street parking by extending restriction hours until 11pm from the original 6pm cut-off period.
Cllr Dan Barrington, cabinet member for transport and connectivity, insisted at a Town Hall meeting that the move will not restrict those who still chose to travel by car.
He said: “Just to be clear, we have not and are not proposing that residents, visitors and customers cannot use their private cars to access the city centre.
“There may be some parking spaces in the future that we may want to look at removing and it’s actually not a new thing.
“As an example, over the years we’ve removed parking spaces from areas like Castle Street and widened the pavement.
“During the pandemic we closed the road and that’s enabled it to become a thriving space for visitors and businesses there and we’ll be making that a permanent scheme in the future.”