By Alan Richardson

PEOPLE WILL soon have to pay more to park in Perth under proposals to be discussed this week.

The council is set to impose an extra 10p on an hour’s parking across Perth and Kinross from 60p to 70p in the city centre and 50p to 60p elsewhere.

The rise is among a package of measures being examined by the enterprise and infrastructure committee on Wednesday.

Also to be examined is a move to bring in new 20 and 40 minute time bands in certain Perth streets and in library car parks.

Certain streets further from the city centre will see no change in a bid to free up valuable space in the main hub.

The council defended the move, saying parking charges have not been reviewed in two years and pointing out the new levels will still be lower than Dundee and Stirling.

Enterprise and infrastructure convener Councillor John Kellas, explained, “We have not looked at car parking charges since March 2006 when the basic charge in Perth was raised from 50p to 60p for an hour.

“The charges in car parks outwith Perth were not increased at that time and charges remain as set in 2004.

“Inflationary pressures have to be taken into account and I believe the proposed increase is a fair one.

“Charges in Riverside, Commercial Street, Gowrie Street and St Leonard’s Bank will not be increased in order to make these areas more attractive to motorists wishing to park, thereby freeing up more spaces in the city centre.

“This kind of proposal illustrates that charging for car parking is not primarily a money-raising exercise—it is a very important tool in traffic management.

“We have had some comments from visitors to the city centre that the minimum one-hour time band for parking can sometimes be excessive. Sometimes people want to visit the city centre for a short time and only pay for that short stay.

“In response to this we propose the introduction of short periods of 20 and 40 minutes to our time band structure. This will give visitors to Perth much more flexibility to buy a parking ticket according to their needs. Similar arrangements are proposed for libraries, where people often only want to make a short visit.”

Committee members will also be asked to approve a consultation process into the possibility of introducing on-street charges and removing off-street charges in Crieff and Blairgowrie, in response to local suggestions.

It is hoped this would provide a turnover of vehicles in the on-street spaces directly adjacent to shops and businesses while providing free longer-term parking for commuters and others in off-street car parks.

Depending on the outcome of consultations similar measures in other locations such as Dunkeld, Pitlochry and Auchterarder may be examined.

Other proposed changes include the introduction of all-year parking charges in Dunkeld and Pitlochry.

The car parks there are now used year-round so it is recommended that they are brought into line with other council car parks, with the removal of Sunday charges.