Car parks across Westminster could soon be using a demand-based pricing system after the scheme was introduced at the council’s Queensway car park opposite Hyde Park.
From yesterday, 1st December, drivers parking at Queensway are charged according to how full a car park is. The council had previously run a 12-week trial which increased use by 50 per cent.
Council bosses say the scheme, believed to be the first in the UK, could be extended to all 14 of Westminster’s car parks, including those in the West End.
Motorists who arrive when the car park has a small number of spaces filled will pay only 20p an hour or £4.80 for the whole day. A small number of drivers who turn up when it is almost full will pay a maximum of £2 per hour- the same as the current maximum hourly rate.
Cllr Danny Chalkley, Westminster’s cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “We know that many drivers in London are put off by expensive parking charges. Now they will be able to park far more cheaply on a first come, first served basis.”
