New charging scheme for council car parks

Source - news release from St Albans Council on 13 March 14

Changes are being made to charges at car parks to make the most of available capacity, helping workers and visitors to St Albans.

The new charges come into effect at car parks owned by St Albans City and District Council from 1 April. They are designed to encourage the use of particular car parks by leisure users, workers or shoppers. It means that the charges will now vary between car parks managed on behalf of the Council by NCP under its new contract.

Workers wanting to park all day in St Albans will now only have to pay £5 if they park at the following NCP-managed car parks:

Bricket Road North
Keyfield Terrace
Gombards,
Townsend Avenue.

At NCP car parks elsewhere in the City and at the Civic Centre, it will cost £10 for all-day parking.

Charges have also been frozen or reduced for stays of up to three hours at the following NCP car parks, benefitting leisure users and shoppers:

Drovers Way
Russell Avenue
Bowers Way East
Bowers Way West
London Road
Amenbury Lane
Adelaide Street

Leisure users and shoppers will still be able to use the Council-run Westminster Lodge car park free of charge for up to two hours.

They will also be able to park on Sundays for £1 at the Council’s NCP car parks and at the Council-run Civic Centre car park (accessed from Bricket Road, St Albans). This will mean that on Sundays the City centre car parks normally used by visitors will have the same £1 charge. This will allow us to promote shopping in St Albans more easily. The charge also compares favourably with surrounding areas.

The new contract with NCP also provides for improvements to car parks. Brighter LED lighting will be installed at Drovers Way and Russell Avenue, helping to improve the safety of customers. A Pay By Phone service is also being introduced at all NCP car parks, making it easier for customers to pay for parking. This will complement the Pay By Phone service introduced in August last year in relation to off-road and on-street parking.

The Council has also reviewed the cost of parking permits and is introducing a 2% increase. For a resident’s all day permit Type B this equates to an increase of 76p to £38.76.

Creative ideas needed for Alban Way mural

Source - news release from St Albans Council

Come to a fun, family event on Saturday 8 March and contribute ideas on what to include in a new street art community mural for the Alban Way. You can take part in creative activities, get your bike safety checked and learn about the old railway that once ran along the Alban Way.

Provided by St Albans City and District Council and Sustrans, the event will take place from 12 noon to 3pm at the Alban Way entrance on Orient Close.

Young people from the Cunningham Hub Youth Café will be present to gather ideas for a mural they are creating to decorate the tunnel under London Road. Accompanied by a professional artist, they will be asking passers-by how they use the Alban Way as inspiration for the mural.

During the afternoon, there will also be an eight mile, off-road bike ride for families along the Alban Way to the outskirts of Hatfield. Before setting off, cyclists will be able to test their pedal power by making a healthy drink on a specially adapted ‘Smoothie bike’. Dr Bike will also be on hand to carry out bicycle safety checks and simple maintenance.

Siobhan McSwiggan, Sustrans Community Champions Officer said: “We hope that lots of people will come and support the project and see how cycling on the Alban Way can be a great way to get out and about by bike. We would love for the whole community to be involved in the look and feel of the new mural. This is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the cycle way’s fascinating history too.”

The event is being organised in partnership with St Albans Arts, Sport & Health, the development arm of Leisure Connection and other partners in St Albans District.

For more information about the project or if you are a young person who would like to get involved, email melissa.caneppele@leisureconnection.co.uk

Notes:

The Alban Way is a trail of approximately 6.5 miles for cyclists and walkers along the former railway line between St Albans and Hatfield. It is an important link in the local sustainable transport network and forms part of Route 61 of the National Cycle Network. More information about the Albans Way is available at: http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/parks-and-green-space/railway-trails/albanway.aspx

Sustrans is a UK charity that develops and delivers practical, cost-effective initiatives that enable many more people to travel by foot, bike or public transport. More information about Sustrans is available at: http://www.sustrans.org.uk/

Melissa Caneppele

SAASH Arts

Tel: 01727 819 203

Email: Melissa.caneppele@leisureconnection.co.uk

St Albans Arts Sport & Health, Leisure Connection