Tuesday 29 November 2016
Additional buses will also be available on designated Late Night shopping days
Parking Arrangements
Traffic and Highway Services is advising motorists that the disc parking time restrictions on parts of the North Beach, Victoria (Crown) and Albert Piers will be temporarily changing from 1st December 2016 until the 4th January 2017.
At each location all of the two-hour spaces will be increased to a three-hour limit to enable visitors to Town to have extra time for shopping or socialising during the festive period. In addition, on weekdays the disc parking time restrictions in these spaces will commence at 10am as opposed to the normal 8am. This is to allow a little extra time for people who may have been out socialising to move their vehicle the following morning.
For the first time Traffic and Highway Services has agreed that on Saturdays over the Christmas period there will be no time restriction when parking in the spaces referred to above and also in what are normally the three-hour spaces at North Beach. The deregulation of parking on Saturdays will enable the public, if using these spaces, to visit Town without having to be conscious of parking time limits.
Overall a total of approximately 400 parking spaces will become three-hour parking, Monday to Friday with approximately 600 deregulated on Saturdays. The existing small car parking spaces on the Piers and at North Beach will remain as ten-hour disc zone parking.
Traffic and Highway Services can also advise that parking spaces at Sir Charles Frossard House, La Charroterie and Lukis House, the Grange will be made available to the public in the run up to Christmas on a first come, first served basis for designated late night shopping on Thursday evenings (8th, 15th and 22nd December) and all day on Saturdays from 3rd December. The spaces will be available from 6pm on Thursdays but in the case of Lukis House must be vacated by 10pm. On Saturdays the Lukis House spaces must be vacated by 7pm.
Buses
Once again, on designated late night shopping Thursdays (8th, 15th and 22nd December) there will be a number of additional late evening services operating on Routes 11, 21, 31, 41, 42, 51, 61 and 93 up until approximately 10pm. Further details in this regard will shortly be available from CT Plus at www.buses.gg .
As an incentive to use the additional parking at Sir Charles Frossard House and Lukis House from 6pm to 10pm on designated Thursday evenings and from 10am to 7pm on Saturdays during this period, we will be offering free bus travel on all scheduled and additional late evening services between these car parks and the Terminus (or stops in between).
Spokesperson's Comments
A spokesperson for Traffic and Highway Services advised,
"The temporary additional parking time and derestriction on Saturdays is being introduced following a request from the Town Centre Partnership. It is designed to help encourage footfall in Town over the festive period to benefit the retail and hospitality sectors."
The temporary rezoning of parking spaces has happened over the past few years following consultation with the Partnership but the changes this year will go further than previously has been the case. This is in relation to the disc zone time restrictions not commencing until 10am in specific areas and the deregulation of much of the 'shopper' parking on Saturdays. The availability of additional car parking spaces at Lukis House and Sir Charles Frossard House on Thursday evenings and on Saturdays combined with free bus travel will also be a welcome boost when demand for public parking is likely to be at a peak.
The changes are fairly radical in comparison to what has previously been permitted and we would welcome feedback from interested parties about whether business and users find them advantageous. Comments can be sent to our Bulwer Avenue office or e-mailed to traffic@gov.gg ".
