Dodge Rip-Off Parking Fees
Since Westminster council in London announced their proposals to charge for parking throughout the borough on weekday evenings and Sundays as they do the rest of the week, many drivers have expressed their crossness at this latest financial blow to parking fees.
Here are a few tips on how to fight back against the horribly high parking fees you may encounter in various places.
Airport Parking – One of the worst rip offs for motorists is the cost of parking at airports, railways stations and other transport locations. You can cut the costs sometimes however, by shopping around and finding a carpark that’s local but not run by the airport, and using comparison websites to find the cheapest parking near the airport you’re using. Booking online can often give you a discount, and sometimes avoid the usual booking fee too. Try SkyparkSecure.com, AirportParking.co.uk, HolidayExtra.co.uk and aph.com.
Park on Someone’s Driveway – Residents who are near to airports, train stations and other places where people want to park a lot can now rent out their drive, garage or other parking space to motorists using sites such as parkatmyhouse.com, parklet.co.uk and yourparkingspace.co.uk so try looking to see if you can get a better deal this way.
Book Early – this one’s aimed mostly at airport managed car parks. If you do need to use them, then book as early as you can, as the later you leave it, the more they charge!
Park & Ride – For many city centres if you’re visiting from out of town you may find that a local park and ride scheme can save you time, money and hassle. Parkandride.net gives a list of all the schemes across the UK so is well worth checking before you travel.
Avoiding Fines – Did you know, that if you park in a council parking bay, and they suspend the bay (for road works perhaps), you can actually be fined if you leave your car there. It’s worth knowing this if you use these spaces regularly especially if you’re going away for a few days, so check out your local council website before you leave your car in one.
Appealing parking Tickets – Research shows that a fairly large number of parking tickets aren’t actually fair. If you are given a ticket and don’t think it’s reasonable you can appeal it. The website trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk gives more information.
Car Sharing – Of course the best way to cut the cost of parking is to take less cars. Car sharing and lift sharing schemes are popping up all over the place, and sites such as liftshare.com can be a great way to find someone who travels the same way as you. This way you can split the parking costs between two or more of you.