Does Free Parking Work?

What are the effects of the recently introduced free parking? Is it bringing more people into town?

We’re grateful to the Rhuthun/Ruthin Blog Car Park Watch Team for simultaneously reporting on car park usage during the early afternoon over the past four Saturdays (at the same times and locations). This takes some precision and commitment.

The previous four Saturdays were key dates in Rhuthun’s quest for a greater slice of Christmas trade. The dates of inspection were Saturdays:

• 21st November (paid for parking throughout)
• 28th November (free in Park Road and also elsewhere after 3 p.m.)
• 5th December (free throughout)
• 12th December (free throughout)

What were the findings? In the graph above, the white column represents parking capacity at each of six groups of locations. Each of the coloured bars represents one of the four Saturdays (e.g. the blue bar is for 21st November, the yellow for 5th December).

• Parking occupancy increased when parking became free. Hardly surprising. But the reason is unproven, as it also increased simply because it’s Christmas.


• Parking on free Saturdays was busiest on 5th December rather than 12th. The produce market was on the 5th. Then again, the 12th was likely to be a date that attracted more people away from the town, to Chester, Wrexham or wherever, even if they would rather stay locally.


• The produce market on 5th December filled Park Road to over capacity, exacerbated by the prudent closure of the rear of Crispin Yard, which the council wisely opened early afternoon to assist capacity in that area.


• Taking the benchmark as at 21st November (paid for), the number of cars parked in previously paid for car parks on 5th December increased by 40 per cent. Remember, this was the Saturday of the produce market and the pre-Christmas Saturday before some people leave the town to do “big” shopping.


• The increase on 12th December over 21st November was less dramatic, at 15 per cent. In fact, we’d say that overall, there were *fewer* people in town on 12th December than on a comparable December Saturday.


• Reinforcing this point, the total number of cars parked in official *and* unofficial brownfield car parks (Slater’s, back of town hall) on 12th December had increased by just 12 per cent. Anecdotally, we’d expect the car parks to see this amount of increase in mid-December, owing to the Christmas effect.


• Aside from 21st November, Tesco stayed more or less steady throughout. This is unsurprising.


• Tesco car parking remained significant throughout.


• When you compare previous Saturdays, parking at the Craft Centre on 12th December had more than halved. Why should this be? We can only speculate that discretionary visitors had Christmas shopping rather than Craft Centre visiting on their mind. Or that some of those who would normally park there for free were able to migrate back to the free town centre car parks.

In spite of free parking, there was still a significant amount of illegal parking in and around the Square.

Conclusions? These are difficult.

1. The first thing of note is that the weather on 5th was wet in the morning and again from mid-afternoon. Yet, there was a good town turn out, with activities and, judging by the parking at the Clwyd end of town, thanks to the produce market.


2. The weather on 12th was perfect for Christmas shopping. The town was not at all well supported in the morning but busier in the afternoon. Some shops were doing well but when compared to previous recent years, the number of shoppers seemed lower. This in spite of free parking. Those seeing good trade included “gift” type shops (e.g. Cerrig & the Green Lady, Twenty-3).


3. Car parking numbers on 12th were seemingly no greater with free parking then they probably would’ve been without it. It’s Christmas, after all.


4. It seems that a combination of activities, produce market and free parking had contributed to more people in town on the 5th. When considering the number of shoppers expected on the 12th, free parking probably had less of an effect, if any.


5. The town has more parking capacity than it needs.


6. I guess that the best we can say is that on 12th, free parking may have helped, but it certainly didn’t hinder.

Feel free to disagree with these conclusions.