We are asking for your opinions on proposals which include the introduction of emission-based parking charges to all Council-managed paid-for parking areas in Bath and North East Somerset, following their introduction in Bath car parks in September 2023.
Emission-based parking means that people with higher polluting vehicles would pay slightly more to encourage a shift to cleaner, more sustainable travel in the area.
What we are proposing
We are proposing the following:
- An increase to car parking charges in Bath for council-managed car parks, including our park and ride sites, and on-street
- The introduction of parking charges for motorbikes, which also includes all other powered 2 and 3 wheeled vehicles that must be registered with the DVLA
- The introduction of an emission-based parking charging structure in the following locations:
- All on-street pay and display locations in Bath
- All council-managed car parks in Keynsham
- South Road Car Park, Midsomer Norton
- Church Street and Waterloo Road Car Parks, Radstock
- The Shallows, Saltford
- For hotel parking permit use
Under the proposals, car park charges would increase in October 2024 and October 2025.
On-street charges in Bath would increase in January 2025 and January 2026.
Aims of the proposals
These proposals aim to improve air quality through a major shift to sustainable transport, walking and cycling and incentives to reduce the use of more polluting vehicles. This aligns with the vision and outcomes from our Journey to Net Zero Transport Strategy, by promoting sustainable transport and reducing CO2 emissions and the intrusion of vehicles, particularly more polluting vehicles, into our historic urban centres.
It is one of a number of our policies and proposals that aim to encourage more people to walk, cycle or use public transport – or raise awareness of the impact of more polluting vehicles, influencing people to swap to cleaner vehicles where they can – to help reduce air pollution, improve public safety and tackle the climate emergency. These include the introduction of Bath's Clean Air Zone and our Liveable Neighbourhoods policy.
Traffic emissions pose a significant threat to clean air. Vehicles with petrol and diesel-based internal combustion engines emit a wide variety of pollutants, such as carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM10), which have an increasing impact on urban air quality.
These pollutants from traffic may not only prove a problem in the immediate vicinity where they are released, but can be transported long distances.
While there are national targets and legal limits for air pollution and air quality, there is no safe limit. Any measures that aim to reduce the impact of vehicle emissions will have a beneficial impact on human health and the environment.
The effects of air pollution on health
Air pollution particles and gases enter our bodies and can damage cells in different ways. They usually get into our lungs first and can then move into our blood to reach organs such as our heart and brain. Any amount of pollution can be damaging to health, but the more that you are exposed to, the bigger the risk.
Some people are more vulnerable than others, including:
- Children
- Pregnant people
- Older people
- People with lung conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer
- People with heart conditions such as coronary artery disease, heart failure and high blood pressure
The health problems resulting from exposure to air pollution have a high cost to people who suffer from illness and premature death, to our health services and to business. In the UK, these costs add up to more than £20 billion every year (Source: Royal College of Physicians). Any reduction in emissions within the city centre will have a beneficial impact on those living and visiting the city centre.
Summary of the emission-based charges
- Emission-based charging in these locations would follow the structure of the emission-based charges that we introduced across all resident parking schemes in 2022 and car parks in Bath in 2023, following extensive public consultation.
- Charges would be based on a vehicle’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, in line with the DVLA Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) classifications. Where no CO2 emissions rating is available, typically including all vehicles registered before 2001, the charge would be based on engine capacity
- Drivers of electric vehicles and those with non-diesel-fuelled internal combustion engines that emit 130g/km or less of CO2 will pay a baseline charge. More polluting vehicles would be charged more depending on the emissions of their vehicle
- The emission-based charges that apply for more polluting vehicles would increase by 2.5% for each more polluting band, or 5% for each engine capacity band.
- The changes would apply to both customers who pay daily and season ticket holders
To know how much you'll need to pay, you can check your vehicle’s emissions rating or engine capacity online and use this to cross reference against our proposed charges below.
The MiPermit app and our pay and display machines will calculate the charge for your vehicle automatically based on DVLA records. You do not need to know your emissions or engine size when logging and paying for your stay.
Find out more about how emissions-based parking charges work in Bath car parks
Select a topic below to find out the full summary of the proposals.
We are proposing to increase the hourly charge in Bath car parks for the least polluting vehicles by:
- £0.10 per hour in October 2024
- £0.10 per hour in October 2025
The charge for more polluting vehicles will increase by at least the same amount and in line with our principles of emissions-based charges.
Evening parking
We are proposing to increase the evening charge for the least polluting vehicles available at Charlotte Street car park (6pm to 8pm only) by:
- £1 in October 2024
- £1.30 in October 2025. This aligns the evening charge available at Charlotte Street car park to the same 2-hour rate that is available in other Bath car parks.
The charge for more polluting vehicles will increase by at least the same amount and in line with our principles of emissions-based charges.
Overnight parking
We are proposing to increase the overnight charge at all Bath car parks (8pm to 8am) by:
- £1 in October 2024
- £1 in October 2025
The charge for more polluting vehicles will increase by at least the same amount and in line with our principles of emissions-based charges.
View the proposed charges
- View the current Bath car park charges
- View the proposed Bath car park charges for October 2024
- View the proposed Bath car park charges for October 2025
To know how much you'll need to pay, you can check your vehicle’s emissions rating or engine capacity online and use this to cross reference against our proposed charges.
Parking charges for on-street parking locations in Bath are grouped into tiers based on their location:
View the tiers for Bath on-street locations
| Location | Tier |
|---|---|
| Alexandra Park | Park |
| Alfred Street | 2 |
| Avon Street | 2 |
| Bennett Street | 2 |
| Brock Street | 2 |
| Caroline Place | 1 |
| Catherine Place | 1 |
| Chapel Row | 2 |
| Corn Street | 2 |
| Gay Street | 2 |
| Gloucester Road | 1 |
| Grand Parade | 2 |
| Great Pulteney Street | 1 |
| Green Park | 1 |
| Grove Street | 1 |
| Guinea Lane | 1 |
| Henrietta Road | 1 |
| Henrietta Street | 1 |
| Henry Street | 2 |
| James Street West | 2 |
| Julian Road | 2 |
| Kingsmead | 1 |
| Lansdown Road | 1 |
| Laura Place | 3 |
| Marlborough Lane | 1 |
| Milk Street | 2 |
| Milsom Street | 3 |
| Monmouth Place | 2 |
| Monmouth Street | 2 |
| Old King Street | 2 |
| Pulteney Road | 1 |
| Queens Parade | 2 |
| Queens Parade Place | 2 |
| Queens Square | 2 |
| Railway Place | 2 |
| Rivers Street | 1 |
| Rivers Street Mews | 1 |
| Royal Avenue | 3 |
| Royal Crescent | 1 |
| Royal Victoria Park | Park |
| Russell Street | 2 |
| Somerset Street | 2 |
| South Parade | 2 |
| St James Parade | 2 |
| Trim Street | 2 |
| Upper Church Street | 1 |
| Walcot Street | 2 |
| Walcot Street | 2 |
| Westgate Buildings | 2 |
| William Street | 1 |
| Wood Street | 2 |
The proposed emissions-based charging structure for Bath on-street parking locations would apply from January 2025.
We are proposing to increase the hourly charge for all on-street parking locations in across all current tiers Bath by:
- £0.10 per hour in January 2025
- £0.10 per hour in January 2026
The charge for more polluting vehicles will increase by at least the same amount and in line with our principles of emissions-based charges.
View the proposed charges
- View the current Bath on-street charges
- View the proposed Bath on-street charges for January 2025 for:
- View the proposed Bath on-street charges for January 2026 for:
To know how much you'll need to pay, you can check your vehicle’s emissions rating or engine capacity online and use this to cross reference against our proposed charges.
We are proposing to increase charges for customers who park at Bath’s three Park & Ride locations where they do not also use the Park & Ride service.
The charge for up to 3-hours and for 24-hours would increase by:
- £0.50 for both tariffs in October 2024
- £0.50 for both tariffs in October 2025
Parking purchased for 24-hours duration will also expire after 24-hours have passed and not at 11:59pm each day.
| Hours | Current charge | Proposed charge (October 2024) | Proposed charge (October 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 hours | £1 | £1.50 | £2 |
| Up to 11:59pm | £2 (Expires at 11:59pm) | £2.50 (Expires after 24-hours) | £3 (Expires after 24-hours) |
The proposed emissions-based charging structure for Keynsham car parks would apply from October 2024.
The additional charge for diesel-fuelled vehicles, in line with our principles for emission-based charging, will be £0.30 for a short-duration stay (up to 4 hours) and £0.50 for a long-duration stay (over 4 hours per day).
In addition to the proposed introduction of emission-based charges, we are proposing to increase the hourly charge for the least polluting vehicles in Keynsham car parks by:
- £0.10 per hour in October 2024
- £0.10 per hour in October 2025
Charges for season tickets in Keynsham would also be linked to a vehicle’s emissions.
The charge for more polluting vehicles will increase by at least the same amount and in line with our principles of emissions-based charges.
The 30 minutes free parking in dedicated bays would remain in Keynsham where bays are marked.
Policy background
The Sustainable Transport Plan for Keynsham town centre includes the provision of improved public transport, walking and cycling infrastructure, encouraging the use of sustainable modes of transport to get to Keynsham town centre.
This aims to lead to a reduction in the need for car parking spaces in the centre of the town, over the 20-year Plan period.
View the proposed charges
- View the current Keynsham car park charges
- View the proposed Keynsham car park charges for October 2024
- View the proposed Keynsham car park charges for October 2025
To know how much you'll need to pay, you can check your vehicle’s emissions rating or engine capacity online and use this to cross reference against our proposed charges.
The proposed emissions-based charging structure for Midsomer Norton car parks would apply from October 2024.
We are proposing to introduce emission-based parking charges in Council-managed car parks in Midsomer Norton to align with the same level of charges and hours of operation as Keynsham.
- Charges will apply from 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday inclusive.
- The hours available to purchase in Midsomer Norton, which currently has unrestricted free parking, is proposed to match that for long-stay parking in Keynsham.
- The additional charge for diesel-fuelled vehicles will be £0.30 for a short-duration stay (up to 4 hours) and £0.50 for a long-duration stay (over 4 hours per day).
We are also proposing free parking for short durations in Midsomer Norton car parks in dedicated bays to support local businesses and shoppers. We are initially proposing this for 30 minutes, in line with Ashton Way car park in Keynsham, but would like your views on a range of durations when this free period should apply.
Season tickets will be available in Midsomer Norton car parks at all long-stay locations and will also be linked to a vehicle’s emissions.
In addition to the proposed introduction of emission-based charges in October 2024, we are proposing to increase the hourly charge for the least polluting vehicles in Midsomer Norton car parks by £0.10 per hour in October 2025.
The charge for more polluting vehicles will increase by at least the same amount and in line with our principles of emissions-based charges.
Policy background
We are delivering a High Street Regeneration Programme in Midsomer Norton with a combined investment of £3.6 million. This is designed to increase footfall in the local area and support local businesses.
The programme includes a high-quality multi-use civic space; improvements to shopfronts; restoration of the Town Hall and transfer to community ownership; and market town brand for Midsomer Norton focusing on important aspects of local culture. Additional short-stay parking is available in Midsomer Norton within private car parking (i.e. that not managed by the council) provided for customer use.
The introduction of charges at car parks in Midsomer Norton helps to make it easier for shoppers to find parking by encouraging turnover of spaces and supports the ongoing costs for operating these car parks, including energy costs, maintenance, and other improvements to the asset to support improvements delivered through the regeneration schemes designed to increase footfall and support local trade.
View the proposed charges
- View the proposed Midsomer Norton car park charges for October 2024
- View the proposed Midsomer Norton car park charges for October 2025
To know how much you'll need to pay, you can check your vehicle’s emissions rating or engine capacity online and use this to cross reference against our proposed charges.
The proposed emissions-based charging structure for Radstock car parks would apply from October 2024.
We are proposing to introduce emission-based parking charges in Council-managed car parks in Radstock to align with the same level of charges and hours of operation as Keynsham.
- Charges will apply from 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday inclusive
- The hours available to purchase and maximum stay times in Radstock car parks are proposed to be maintained to ensure frequent turnover of the limited spaces available to support local businesses
- The additional charge for diesel-fuelled vehicles will be £0.30 for a short-duration stay (up to 4 hours) and £0.50 for a long-duration stay (over 4 hours per day).
We are also proposing free parking for short durations of parking in Radstock car parks in dedicated bays to support local businesses and shoppers. We are initially proposing this for 30 minutes, in line with Ashton Way car park in Keynsham, but would like your views on a range of durations when this free period should apply.
Season tickets would not be available in Radstock car parks, as these locations do not provide all-day parking.
In addition to the proposed introduction of emission-based charges in October 2024, we are proposing to increase the hourly charge for the least polluting vehicles in Radstock car parks by £0.10 per hour in October 2025.
The charge for more polluting vehicles will increase by at least the same amount and in line with our principles of emissions-based charges.
Policy background
We have developed a draft Regeneration Action Plan for Radstock in collaboration with key stakeholders including Radstock Town Council, businesses and the community to identify priority projects. The plan will also be used to support future funding bids and inform investment plans and future strategies for the town.
The introduction of charges at car parks in Radstock helps to make it easier for shoppers to find parking by encouraging turnover of spaces and supports the ongoing costs for operating these car parks, including energy costs, maintenance, and other improvements to the asset to support improvements delivered through the regeneration schemes designed to increase footfall and support local trade.
View the proposed charges
- View the proposed Radstock car park charges for October 2024
- View the proposed Radstock car park charges for October 2025
To know how much you'll need to pay, you can check your vehicle’s emissions rating or engine capacity online and use this to cross reference against our proposed charges.
The proposed emissions-based charging structure for The Shallows car park, Saltford, would apply from October 2024.
The additional charge for diesel-fuelled vehicles will be £0.30 for short-duration stays of up to 3 hours.
In addition to the proposed introduction of emission-based charges, we are proposing to increase the hourly charge for the least polluting vehicles in The Shallows car park by:
- £0.10 per hour in October 2024
- £0.10 per hour in October 2025
The charge for more polluting vehicles will increase by at least the same amount and in line with our principles of emissions-based charges.
Charges would continue to apply 7 days a week from 1 April to 30 September.
View the proposed charges
- View the current Saltford car park charges
- View the proposed Saltford car park charges for October 2024
- View the proposed Saltford car park charges for October 2025
To know how much you'll need to pay, you can check your vehicle’s emissions rating or engine capacity online and use this to cross reference against our proposed charges.
Paid for parking for hotel guests when purchased with a council hotel permit provides either parking in a council car park or on-street, depending on where the hotel or guest house is located, with the cost of a 24-hour stay linked to the charge for the least polluting vehicles in a council car park.
Under our proposals, with the introduction of emission-based charging across on-street locations, the charge for a hotel permit would be linked to the vehicle’s emissions from January 2025 and the relevant 24-hour emission-based car park charge applied.
Motorbike users will require an emission-based residents parking permit to park a motorbike in a permit holder space.
Motorbike users will no longer be able to park for free in paid for parking locations on-street and in council car parks.
- The charge for paid for parking will be linked to motorbike CO2 emissions, based on data held by the DVLA, and in line with our principles for emission-based charging.
- Where no CO2 emission data is held by the DVLA, the charge will be linked to engine capacity using the following bands:
| Engine capacity | Equivalent charging band for a four-wheeled vehicle |
|---|---|
| Under 151 cc | 0-1550 cc |
| 151 - 400 cc | 1551-1950 cc |
| 401 - 600 cc | 1951-2950 cc |
| Over 600 cc | over 2951 cc |
Policy Background
Historically the use of motorcycles has been supported and promoted over car due to their reduced impact on congestion and kerb space. This was recognised within the Parking Strategy, adopted in 2018, and the continuation of free parking for motorcycles, noting that the secure display of paper permits or parking tickets is not possible on a motorcycle.
The introduction of paid for parking and permits for motorcycles supports the council’s approach to encourage behaviour change and the use of more sustainable forms of transport to improve air quality and pedestrian safety. All vehicles that use our roads contribute to air pollution through either the burning of fossil fuels or through wear from brakes and tyres. This impacts air quality and is detrimental to the safety of pedestrians and other road users. The council is committed to reviewing opportunities to improve facilities for motorcycles parking within designated bays.
Under the proposals, Blue Badge holders would still be able to park for no charge upon display of a valid blue badge and clock (where time limits apply):
- on single or double yellow lines for up to 3 hours
- in resident permit bays and paid for on-street parking bays for as long as needed
Charges would apply in Bath car parks, but blue badge parking in council-managed car parks in other towns would remain free when a badge is displayed in marked blue badge bays.
Equalities
We have completed Equality Impact Assessments, which we will continue to review and will update following this consultation:
Why we are consulting
We would like to know if you are broadly supportive of the proposals or if you broadly object to them. We are inviting comments from the public to determine if we should take the proposals forward as they are proposed, or whether to amend or reject them.
What we are consulting on
We are asking you to respond to a variation to the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO). The TRO is to extend vehicle emission-based parking charges to several locations across the area.
Who we are consulting
Anyone is welcome to respond to this consultation. We want to hear your views.
Have your say
If you need to get in touch
If you have a question about this consultation and would like clarification, or you require any documents in another format, you can email our team at parking_consultation@bathnes.gov.uk
What happens next
We will take into account the support and objections to this TRO before making the final decision about whether to implement it as council policy.