Cardiff approves citywide parking plan with heavy-vehicle surcharge

Cardiff Council’s cabinet approved a citywide parking plan on October 16 that will introduce new parking zones and a surcharge on larger vehicles, including many sport utility vehicles, in a bid to reduce commuter parking, improve air quality and encourage more sustainable travel. The changes, which the council says will be phased in over up to 10 years, also include new rules on residential permits, priority parking in the city centre and revised permit types for carers, community premises and essential services.

Under the plan the city will be divided into three parking management areas: a city and civic centre area, an inner area and an outer area. Each area will be subdivided into controlled parking zones with different permitted uses and operating hours. In the city and civic centre area parking will be prioritised for blue badge holders, taxis, buses and deliveries, controls will apply all day every day and residential permits will be phased out when holders move property. The inner area will mix permit-holder bays, short-stay pay and stay bays, and shared-use bays with minimum controls from 8am to 10pm, while the outer area will include a mix of permit bays, pay and stay...