Councils have proposed a fee for workplace parking that will cover the whole of Oxford.
The Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) will see employers paying a monthly fee for staff parking spaces under a set of conditions.
These proposed changes are part of a joint City Council and County Council scheme, Connecting Oxford, which aims to improve traffic congestion and air quality.
However, there are concerns that this might hit businesses that are still feeling the impact of Covid on their takings.
READ MORE: New charge on parking at work is ‘another nail in Oxford's coffin’
What is the Workplace Parking Levy and how will it affect you?
The WPL is a monthly charge for employers of £11.50 per vehicle using their businesses’ parking spaces and only applies to businesses with 11 or more spaces.
The aim is to discourage car use, and more sustainable modes of transport, with grants to be given to explore alternative modes of travel.
Changes cover the whole of the area within the Oxford ring road, and if plans are agreed upon in summer consultations, then the fee could start in 2024.
What will the money be used for?
By law, the money that is raised from a WPL must be ring-fenced for local transport improvements.
This is under the Transport Act 2000, that allowed local traffic authorities in England and Wales, outside London, to introduce a WPL to help tackle congestion.
A levy on large employer's parking at workplaces was introduced in 2012 in Nottingham, England, where around 25,000 spaces across the city are charged £428 per year each – a charge that went up in April 2021 from £379.
How long has this measure been in the works?
Initial engagement on a workplace parking levy took place in 2019, the council saying they have drawn on feedback from over 10,000 residents, businesses and community groups.
This is part of a host of other proposed changes, such as Zero Emission Zones (ZEZs), and traffic filters.
The two councils have said they will be hosting a series of online webinars to introduce these schemes in more detail and answer questions, although details of these haven't yet been shared.
What other changes have been proposed?
Six traffic filters have been proposed on certain roads that aim to reduce traffic congestion by only allowing certain types of traffic on some roads.
For example, just buses and bicycles.
A Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ), where only vehicles that don't use diesel, petrol, or create polluting emissions will be allowed through, will be piloted at the end of this month.
If sucessful, then by 2023 the whole city centre could become a ZEZ.
What do councillors have to say?
Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Travel and Development Strategy, Duncan Enright said: “While the county council is leading the development of these plans together with the city council, we also intend to work with key partners such as our businesses, universities and bus operators.”
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Green Transport and Zero Carbon Oxford at Oxford City Council, Tom Hayes said: “Everyone in the city struggles with the same congestion choking their roads, worries about the air they breathe, and looks to our climate future with nervousness.
"We all want to fix our problems—by proposing these plans, both councils want to speak directly to citizens and organisations over the next few months ahead of further public consultation later this year. We want everyone to have their say.”
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