Liverpool is closely eyeing the Nottingham workplace parking levy scheme with a view to introducing its own.
The chief executive of Merseytravel, which co-ordinates transport for Liverpool, has put forward a report to the organisation’s policy and resources committee that updates members on WPLs, with particular reference to the forthcoming scheme in Nottingham. It recommends members “maintain a watching brief on this important policy area”.
While the chief executive Neil Scales acknowledges that WPL is not directly mentioned in the current local transport policy plan, he said: “It is clear that public sector budgets will tighten over the next few years, meaning that local authorities will have to look to innovative mechanisms to generate local funding to ensure continued investment in transport infrastructure.”
He continued: “WPL schemes could offer one such mechanism. For these reasons, it is recommended that members maintain a close watching brief on the development of WPL proposals at a national level, and in Nottingham, in particular.”
Bristol is also reportedly examining the possibility of introducing a WPL, having scrapped early plans for road tolling.
Nottingham’s WPL scheme starts in April 2012, after it was deferred for two years due to the recession.
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