21 Mar 2025
Although complaints about on-street parking charges in Harpenden have dominated headlines in the past months, retailers in St Albans city centre are also unhappy with recent changes.
Just like in Harpenden, a new pay structure has been imposed in Victoria Street and Lattimore Road, offering one 30-minutes free period a day, with additional charges on top for a maximum of two hours.
The charges apply from 8.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday, an hour longer than in Harpenden. Although small signs advertising the changes have been installed, there was little advance warning before the measures were implemented.
Traders in Victoria Street say they are now experiencing a drop in trade, or are seeing customers being fined because they don’t understand the new arrangements.
Jean Dennis, from Gallery 105, said the charges were casing uproar: “It’s not so much about introducing a charge but the totally confusing way of doing it all. Phone with a code to get 30 minutes free… oh and of course pay an admin fee, then another code to book some paid time.
“Customers coming to collect their framing want to pop in and out quickly, not spend time and an admin fee on the parking app. For my type of business, customers do not need the pressure of worrying about parking tickets when they are trying to concentrate on making a creative decision.
“Tickets galore are being dished out here in Victoria Street as people do not realise what is happening or do not have a phone with them. Whoever the Lib Dem councillor is, they haven’t bothered to visit any of us yet.
“It is just another nail in the coffin of small businesses by not allowing one hour free and making it simple to buy a ticket without a phone. We need common sense to prevail or lose more customers to the out-of-town shopping centres which have loads of free parking.
“Last week I watched several people park and then go to nip over the road, oblivious about the new phone and code system.
“One just got back in their car and drove off once I made them aware, as they couldn’t be bothered to faff around for just a short stay.
“There was almost a fight broke out last week as a warden gave a ticket to a driver still sitting in his car who hadn’t yet got out to phone!
“If the council has any concerns about helping save small local businesses they would change this ridiculous system immediately. Give one hour free and install simple-to-use machines for the paid-for time that accept coins as well as phones.”
Lisa Friel from St Albans Home Cinema agreed: “There are many people who don’t use apps and what happens when the phone line is down which happens often with these things? It’s unfair.
“Someone who might like to have the option to use cash and get a physical ticket to park isn’t even been given that option – there need to be multiple options to pay available as technology often fails.
“I asked one of the many inspectors who have been patrolling continuously since the new restrictions were implemented what happens if someone can’t use the app and he simply said they can’t park here.
“Signs should have been put up making it very clear new restrictions have been put in place, it’s really horrible seeing people get tickets when money is so hard as it is. As a business we were given no notification of the new restrictions so we could even pass the information on to any clients visiting us, we had to learn from clients receiving tickets. Is there any help for small struggling businesses to obtain a parking permit?
“It all feels very hypocritical to have people come out to us to say they wanted to improve Victoria Street and help businesses, when really we aren’t part of St Albans the way many other roads are, and we get no real support in many ways.
Nick Parker from Aubrey & Finn estate agents said the new system is hugely frustrating for staff, who used to be able to dash in and out between appointments.
“It’s causing a lot of stress as they have to pay to park or keep moving cars between spaces.”
Monish Makwana from Schmidt Kitchens said their customers tend to need appointments of at least an hour, so they either move their cars or park in nearby Iceland, which offers 90 minutes’ free parking.
“The new system is very difficult and inconvenient,” he added.
Tony Allushi of Cosa Nostra pizza restaurant said: “A lot of our customers have complained, whereas they were more than happy with the previous one hour free parking. We’ve heard from some customers that they end up running away rather than trying the new system.”
Agron Bullo from Baked Nation said: “A lot of people – particularly the elderly – are finding it hard to work out the new system and often give up without trying. Others still think that it’s free for an hour and don’t bother logging their parking at all.”
The St Albans Times understands Pay by Phone is looking at a software update to allow just one code to be used to cover both free and paid-for parking in the next few weeks.
SADC says they have not had any complaints about the lack of parking machines in this area.
Meanwhile, SADC leader Paul de Kort has promised that the controversy over Harpenden on-street parking charges remains under review, with the possibility of tweaks further down the line.
Since the new charges were introduced in the middle of February, residents and retailers have highlighted the complexities of the system and the unwillingness to commit to longer periods of parking, resulting in them visiting fewer locations in the town.
Businesses claim they are losing income from the reduced footfall, so if this continues, would Cllr de Kort consider reviewing the council’s approach to the charges and amend what is currently in place?
“We always review things, and you always should with any new scheme. Some of those reviews are already taking place, for example we’re looking at how we’re explaining to people how the system works.”
One of the issues raised has been the need to input two different codes to take advantage of the half-hour free parking, which has left motorists confused and frustrated.
Paul agreed: “I absolutely accept the two codes thing is irritating until you get used to it, but it’s not down to us, it’s how [SADC’s app provider] Pay by Phone operates. Now I don’t know what other operators could have offered, but there was no way we were going to leave the platform at this point
when there are already huge frustrations about when you go outside the district and have to download another app.
“If we could go to one code and the software could cope with it then we would certainly look at that, but it’s not our software.
“I understand the frustration, but I think most people are getting used to it, and you can see that in the data. There are around 1,100 sessions per day, which is about four sessions per bay per day, so people are getting used to it and the number of sessions are going up.
“I guess, it’s a question of getting the message out as best you can, but as I said, it’s difficult to just actually say to people, ‘hey folks, this is actually it’, and not just get a wall of, ‘you shouldn’t do it in the first place’.”
So would he look at extending the maximum time to appease the likes of hairdressers and other service providers who say two hours is not long enough for treatments.
“We have been, we are, and we are continuing to listen to people. But what we’ve got to do is make sure that anything we do in terms of parking charges has to align with the fact that there are nearby off-street car parks. This is not because we’re trying to make money out of this or push people one way or the other, but it’s because the first place cars should go in a town centre are car parks.
“There are a hundred reasons why you should go to a car park rather than park outside a store, those spaces should be primarily for the disabled and deliveries.
“Somebody said to me, ‘I know money’s an issue for the council, and you’re using that as the excuse, but what if the Government suddenly gave a million pounds more? Then how would you address parking?’
“You know, you would have to look at the whole thing. A lot of the arguments made about a free 30 minute period was that some people have to dash in and drop kids off at nursery, pick up a delivery, collect a prescription from the pharmacy, and those are very well-made points.
“But if they’re saying they need to be somewhere for more than two hours, why can’t I park outside the shop, I’d still say that they should be parking in a car park.
“If you’re going to get your hair done and it’s going to take more than two hours, the two to three minute walk to and from the car park is not a large chunk of your time, whereas it is if you’re just dropping something in. So as long as these things are coherently considered, we’d absolutely look at them.
“Interestingly, a lot of people say to me that the problem in Harpenden is that there aren’t enough parking spaces, but now there’s a greater turnover so people don’t have to keep driving around looking for one.
“Another aspect is that it would be nice to have dynamic software, which they have in Newcastle.
“Basically AI or the equivalent looks at the number of spaces, and when there are more they put the prices down, and when they get really tight they put the prices up. If it’s rainy weather there is more demand for cars, but when it’s sunny more people would walk, so it would adjust to that as well.
“There are some bays at the edges of town which are definitely not used as much, so in the future we might have the capability to say if you park further way then it’s cheaper than parking right outside the store.
“But as I have repeatedly said, in a different financial world, we wouldn’t be doing this.”
The issue of parking in Harpenden could become even more of a political hot potato following the resignations of four Harpenden town councillors – Patrick Brosnan, Eileen Washington, Jamie Burrows and Brian Ellis – and Redbourn district councillor Andy Thurston.
By-elections for these wards are expected to take place on May 1.
