Parking costs hammering drivers with 'significant burden' as yearly charges topping £5,000
Some drivers will fork out thousands of pounds every year
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Some drivers could be spending more than one-tenth of their total annual salary on parking, new data has shown, as the Government aims to make parking easier.
Almost 15 million workers are expected to return to the office, with reserch finding that London and Birmingham are the most expensive cities to park in the UK.
The cost of parking for a full-time employee will cost them an unbelievable £5,102 every year, with the average price to park for an hour costing £6.05.
Drivers in Birmingham are also forking out a staggering £2,746 a year after being charged £3.25 every day.
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Other cities like Manchester, Portsmouth and Leeds will also require motorists to pay more than £2,400 simply to go to work.
As a result of the shocking figures, there has been a 25 per cent increase in people searching for “cheap city parking” to try and save money.
Drivers in London who pay for parking every day would almost be paying the same amount as the average cost of household food bills - £5,343.
In comparison, parking every day in Coventry and Bradford would cost drivers eight per cent of their total salary, rather than 13 per cent of their annual salary as seen in London.
Mark Knops, CEO of Sketch Labs, commented on the data, saying motorists were being battered by expensive and unfair parking costs.
He added: “The high cost of parking in London and Birmingham is a significant burden for workers and could discourage them from returning to the office altogether.
“In order to reduce the cost of parking, the Government and businesses need to work together and introduce schemes to make it easier for people to walk, cycle, or take public transport to work.
“Businesses could also offer financial assistance to their employees to help them cover the cost of parking, or offer alternative commuting options, such as vanpooling or carpooling”.
The UK Government’s Plan for Drivers sets out a number of pledges to make motoring easier for Britons and ease the burden on them.
It is hoped this will end the need to use multiple parking apps, which has often stung drivers who struggle with technology.
Drivers will also be able to challenge unfair parking rules, with the Government consulting on potentially revising guidance about the public’s right to challenge local authority parking policies.
Digital traffic regulation orders will also help motorists find parking more easily anywhere around the country.
One of the main measures the Government is looking to introduce is the National Parking Platform, which will link car parks together to make parking easier for motorists.
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The National Parking Platform could be introduced soon
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The report states: “The NPP could in future develop to handle EV charging and other services, so drivers can use their app of choice to find and pay for parking, vehicle charging and more.”