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Cost and availability of parking become growing concern for motorists

The cost and availability of parking in the UK are becoming increasing concerns for drivers, according to the latest RAC Report on Motoring.

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The cost and availability of parking in the UK are becoming increasing concerns for drivers.

Almost a fifth (18%) of the 1,714 motorists surveyed for the report said the cost of parking is one of their top four concerns, up 50% compared with one in eight (12%) who said this in 2015.

Fears about the availability of parking have also increased, with one in seven (14%) now saying this is a top four motoring concern a 75% increase on the 8% on 2015.

Concerns over parking are also impacting on vehicle usage. Of those who leave their cars at home for short journeys and use public transport instead, nearly a quarter (23%) said they have done so because they cant find affordable parking when they get to their destination.

And while the average annual mileage driven by motorists in the RAC Report on Motoring 2016 has changed relatively little in the last 12 months, the difficulty in finding parking was cited as the most common reason for motorists using their vehicles less.

RAC chief engineer David Bizley said: We hope that the growing concern about the cost of parking is not symptomatic of a blatant attempt by operators to generate increased profits or by policymakers to force more people out of their cars and onto expensive or inadequate public transport instead a case of using too much stick and not enough carrot when it comes to making motorists change behaviour.

He added: Looking at a national level the Government has been slow to respond to the Department for Communities and Local Government discussion paper on tackling unfair parking practices. When they do publish their views we will study them very closely to understand the implications for motorists, but given that our findings show that cost and availability of parking is an increasing concern for motorists, the Government should make its views known sooner rather than later.”

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Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.